The fish mortality observed in the lake of the Sidi Boughaba reserve (province of Kenitra) is mainly due to the lack of oxygen in the waters of the lake, accentuated by the increase in temperature and salinity of the waters and the drop in the water level of the lake, indicates the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests.
“The results of the analyzes ruled out any possibility of chemical or organic pollution. This incident is mainly due to the lack of oxygen in the waters of the lake, accentuated by the increase in temperature and salinity of the waters and the drop in the level of the waters of the lake, ”the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. Following information relayed by several dailies, weeklies and national electronic sites, reporting a significant fish mortality in the lake of the Sidi Boughaba reserve, the Department of Water and Forests informs that during the last week of June 2020, and as part of the monitoring programs of aquatic ecosystems, the regional services of the Department of Water and Forests in the region of Rabat-Salé-Kenitra observed fish mortalities in Lake Sidi Boughaba.
It is “Atherine”, a species of small fish, which lives in the continental waters of the North Atlantic coast of the Kingdom, according to the same source.
A provincial commission was mobilized to take samples of fish and lake water to carry out the necessary analyzes in the specialized laboratories of the services of the Royal Gendarmerie for the Environment, the statement continued, noting that in parallel, the Center National d’Hydrobiologie et de Pisciculture d’Azrou (CNHP), under the Department of Water and Forests, was mobilized to provide the scientific background necessary for this incident.
The results of the analyzes ruled out any possibility of chemical or organic pollution, specifies the ministry, ensuring that the fish are free from any disease without any epidemiological character and do not present any threat to local fauna and birds.
The mortality of “Atherines” is mainly due to the lack of oxygen in the waters of the lake, which causes the suffocation of the fish. This decrease in the oxygen content of the water is accentuated on the one hand by the increase in the temperature and salinity of the water and on the other hand by the decrease in the water level of the lake, it is pointed out.
The Sidi Boughaba site is one of the richest natural environments in the Kingdom in terms of biodiversity and a monitoring and surveillance program is implemented by the Department of Water and Forests in order to monitor the evolution of its various natural components, concludes the press release.
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