Mass fish die-off in Brussels canal

In a Brussels canal last week thousands of dead fish were found floating over a stretch of two kilometres between the Biestebroeck dock at Anderlecht and the Molenbeek lock, according to a report in La Libre Belgique confirmed by the Brussels Environment Agency (IBGE-BIM).

The fish found are mainly carp. IBGE-BIM took samples for chemical analysis, and the results are expected in the next few weeks.

Although the reason for the mass die-off is still unclear, one of the hypotheses is that there is too little oxygen in the water due to the high temperatures of the last several weeks. The possibility of contamination is also being investigated.

The dead fish have since been removed by the Port of Brussels.