Environment 20 dead fish found in stream near Lichtensteig SG

20 dead fish were counted in a stream near Lichtensteig on Monday. However, many more fish are likely to have died because, according to the police, there was a total loss of fish stock over several hundred meters of the watercourse. The cause of the fish deaths is likely to be an industrial chemical.

The number of unreported cases of dead fish could be high, as Hanspeter Krüsi, spokesman for the St. Gallen cantonal police, told the Keystone-SDA news agency. Many fish are likely to have been washed down the Rotenbach and then further into the Thur, making an exact count difficult.

On the banks of the stream, the St. Gallen Office for the Environment detected an industrial chemical that is used for water treatment. "This chemical is harmless to humans, but closes the gills of fish," Krüsi continued.

The source of the chemical, which could be responsible for the death of the animals, is being investigated. Definitive results of water samples taken are still pending. These are being analyzed by the Office for the Environment.

An informant reported the dead animals in the stream to the cantonal emergency call center on Monday afternoon, as the cantonal police wrote in a statement on Tuesday morning. Among others, the fisheries warden was deployed.