Mexico investigates mass fish death in lagoon

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Mexico investigates mass fish death in lagoon

AFP
September 2, 2014, 8:01 am

Fishermen collect dead 'popocha' fish at the Cajititlan lagoon in Tlajomulco de Zuniga, Jalisco State, Mexico. Hector Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images

At least 48 tonnes of fish have turned up dead in a lagoon in western Mexico and authorities are investigating whether a wastewater treatment plant is to blame.

Officials in the state of Jalisco said it was the fourth case of mass deaths at the Cajititlan lagoon this year in the town of Tlajomulco, south of Guadalajara.

Dead 'popocha' fish are seen at the Cajititlan lagoon in Tlajomulco de Zuniga, Jalisco State, Mexico. Photo: Hector Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images

Magdalena Ruiz Mejia, the state's environment secretary, said it was a "grave phenomenon" and that it would take two more days to remove the fish, which began to appear dead last week.

The Tlajomulco municipality said the deaths were due to a drop in oxygen due to a cyclical change in water temperature.

At least 48 tonnes of fish have turned up dead in a lagoon in western Mexico and authorities are investigating whether a wastewater treatment plant is to blame. Photo: Hector Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images

But Ruiz Mejia said such deaths were "more and more" frequent and intense due to "bad management of the body of water." Authorities are checking local wastewater treatment plants.

In a separate incident in July 2013, thousands of fish died in a Jalisco reservoir after a company that made food for livestock without a permit dumped huge amounts of molasses into the water.