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Fish Kill Report Card

Aquatic Plants

B

Aquatic Plants

Macroinvertebrates

B

Black Bream

A

Waterbirds

C

Fish Kills

A

Water Quality

A

Major fish kills have been recorded in the Vasse estuary since 1905 with large fish kills reported very 5-10 years. Fish kills are a usually caused by low dissolved oxygen and/or phytoplankton species that are toxic to fish. Fish kills grades are outlined below.

2023 Report Card

A

Key Findings

  • No fish deaths have been recorded in the last 2 years.
  • Fish deaths in the Vasse Wonnerup Estuary occur most often in the Vasse Channel, and upstream of the floodgates.
  • Low dissolved oxygen is the cause of most recent fish kills in the Vasse Wonnerup Estuary, often associated with an algal bloom.
  • The most recent fish kill in June 2020 killed 20,000 black bream and 5,000 mullet, and was caused by a late season algal bloom causing low dissolved oxygen levels in the Vasse Estu-ary Channel.

Fish Kill Grades Over Time

YearMonthGrade
2023A
2022A
2021JuneE
2020A
2019May and DecemberE
2018A
2017A

Grades

A

Excellent

0

B

Very Good

<100

C

Fair

100-999

D

Poor

1,000-5,000

E

Very Poor

>5,000

Estimated number of fish deaths

View other report cards

Aquatic Plants

B

Aquatic Plants

Macroinvertebrates

B

Black Bream

A

Waterbirds

C

Water Quality

A