A local resident noticed some dead fish on the Danube on May 21, 2017, a finding that the Ministry of Fisheries said was ‘suspicious’.
What began as a quiet afternoon walk on a beautiful Sunday enjoying the peace of nature and the River Danube, is potentially unfolding into an investigation to visible signs of something amiss with the river itself. As someone who walks the river bank on a daily basis, it was alarming to witness a dead fish floating on the foreshore. On closer examination it appeared to have some strange colour about it, and a pungent smell.
Whilst putting out of mind, it was obvious the further the walk went, the more would be discovered. Unfortunately in the space of covering only 200 metres, I discovered several more fish, in the same state. Being a concerned resident, I immediately contacted a close friend who would know all about it. Whether it was normal or something more sinister! Most definitely something not normal were his words, so I began to try to establish who to contact to alert them.
My own instinct tells me that there is something far more sinister, so much that I stopped a passing police patrol to alert them. They responded by saying, there are so many weird things that happen, and for me to contact the local Harbour Master, or Croatian Waterways. Cutting short my planned relaxing afternoon amongst friends, I venture home, to search contacts. First, I called the on-call harbour master, and advised him of the discovery, he commented that it was a normal thing. Blamed the strong currents, the passing ships and everything else that didn’t involve him having to get involved.
No Emergency Contact Details For Environment Agency
Suggestion was to contact Croatian Waterways, when asked if he had a number, he replied it was Sunday, and he was at home, and unable to help further. Continuing my quest to reach someone, I found the Croatian Environment Agency. No emergency contact number, and a switchboard that only functions during normal working hours. Croatian Waterways, website www.voda.hr, unfortunately appears not to be functioning for whatever reason, and remains down at time of writing. Eventually, I was able to find a site that was potentially relevant – Ministry Of Fisheries.
Immediately I sent an email with the pictures I took, informing them of my concerns along with my contact details. Noting they do provide a weekend service, I managed to successfully reach a physical person at 1800 hrs. He received my email, and advised me that he would forward it to the Environment Agency in the morning. When asked if he had any contacts, or whether they had an emergency number to contact, he replied that he did not know.
The kind gentleman said that he would let me know on Monday, what, if anything the appropriate agency said. He did agree it was not normal to see dead floating fish in any waters, and is something he would follow up in earnest.
Whilst Mother Nature does occasionally act in strange ways, what is so obvious that the normal food chain would take care of the remnants, if they were edible. The ecosystem of the Danube is full of natural predators simply waiting to devour a free meal! In addition other predators such as crows would also quite happily snap up a free meal. Unfortunately there is no indication that the offering is being taken by them, so that does lead me to believe that this is potentially some form of contamination or poisoning.
Natural or Man-made Situation?
Whilst it is a Sunday, one would have thought an agency that is responsible for the environment would provide some form of emergency service. After all, they have a duty to respond to all forms of disaster, and these can occur anytime and anyplace. Whilst the local agencies that were contacted appeared to push it away as a natural phenomenon, or to another agency, it is a shame that someone has to go to such lengths to get help when needed.
As a concerned resident, I will continue to follow up with the necessary agencies, during their usual working times, and report further. We can only speculate that this is a potential environmental situation, which needs proper examination and answers, by the appropriate government agency. It is better to be a crazy Englishman that cares about the environment, than a fool who simply walks on by and ignores it. No matter the outcome we shall be sure to report further. Our role here is to encourage the various agencies to respond to a potential issue in the ecosystem of an important waterway in Europe.
