INVESTIGATORS have dispelled suggestions that the discovery of dead fish and a milky white substance on 5 July in the Yarra River near Newport Power Station was caused by pollution, discharges from the power station or dredging.
The five dead fish were recovered by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) at the time of the incident and sent for autopsy and analysis. Water samples were also taken.
The Port of Melbourne Corporation came under fire last week when opponents of the Port Phillip channel-deepening project joined Greens MP Sue Pennicuik in calling for a halt to the dredging project until the cause of the fish deaths was determined.
EPA director science and technology Stuart McConnell said there was no evidence in any of the results to suggest that pollutants caused the fish to die.
“Similarly, the results have not shown any link to the channel deepening project or Newport Power Station,” he said.
“The fish pathology results did not show anything unusual.
“All five fish were undersized and three were in an advanced stage of decay and were not related to this event.”
Mr McConnell said it was not unusual for fish deaths such as these to occur naturally.
