'Hundreds' of fish dead in West Sussex pond, council respond

Bobby Watman is a Selsey fisherman who tried to save some of the fish in the East Beach pond..

He said: “I got a call from a few concerned residents asking me to come have a look.

"It took two weeks and over 300 fish dead for them to put fresh water into the pond.

"I’ve made over 200 calls trying to sort it out. My dad and I set our own pumps up for four to five days trying to save as many as we could.”

The Environment Agency said the cause for the dead fish was low water levels, salinity, and low oxygen caused by an algal bloom.

To aid the wildlife, Chichester District Council had pumped around 180,000 litres of water into the pond.

A recent statement from Chichester District Council said: “Last week we worked with Portsmouth Water to have some extra water pumped into the pond as a short-term measure to help oxygenate the water following the exceptional dry weather conditions that we have been experiencing.

“This week we also started using a re-circulation pump which takes water from the pond and sprays it back out on the surface, which helps to circulate more oxygen in the water for the fish. We plan to use this on regular occasions, and we will continue to monitor the fish.

“In addition, we have also been looking into a range of other possible long-term options and we are seeking expert advice on these.”

An Environment Agency spokesperson added: “The fish were likely struggling due to a combination of factors including low water levels, salinity, and low oxygen caused by an algal bloom.

“The condition of the water will improve with the next significant rainfall but unfortunately ponds like this one will continue to be vulnerable due to climate change.”