A fish kill at Belongil Creek has prompted warnings to avoid the affected area, with Byron Shire Council and government agencies investigating the incident following an artificial opening of the creek.
Council opened the creek to the ocean on Monday, October 12, to relieve high water levels inundating stormwater culverts and drains in low-lying parts of Byron Bay and Belongil.
In a statement issued on October 15, Council said the absence of forecast rain, combined with a rapid drop in water levels, had reduced oxygen in the water, causing the fish kill.
‘It’s not the result we had planned for,’ Council’s Coastal and Biodiversity Coordinator, Chloe Dowsett, said.
Ms Dowsett said Council and government departments were investigating the incident and reviewing it to inform opening protocols.
The creek is an intermittently closed and open lake or lagoon, a sensitive aquatic environment where artificial openings can cause fish deaths.
Council said staff undertook openings carefully to reduce that risk. Rain could lessen the likelihood of a fish kill, but could not eliminate it.
Council said Monday’s opening was undertaken in accordance with approvals from NSW Crown Lands and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
For several weeks, sand accumulating at the creek mouth had contributed to rising water levels, with water filling drains and covering some pathways.
Council said it opened coastal creeks only when accumulated water posed a significant inundation risk to infrastructure or property.
‘People are advised to avoid the area and not swim nearby,’ Council’s statement said.
Dogs should be kept away, and dead fish should not be handled, eaten or used as bait.
Council’s announcement did not specify the number or species of fish killed.
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