Fish die of cold in Avis

By: TANJA BAUSE

THOUSANDS of dead fish in the Avis Dam have been identified as Mozambican bream – a tropical fish that can’t survive the cold weather Windhoek is experiencing this week.

Namibia has no indigenous freshwater fish except those in the Orange, Kunene and Kavango rivers. The bream were introduced to Namibian dams at various times in the past.
“The fish are alien to Namibia and simply freeze to death in the cold water,” said Melle Orford of Greenspace.
“A few nights ago it was minus seven degrees in Avis and the next morning one saw more dead fish,” said Orford.
The dead fish are not all wasted, as the dam has seen an increase in marabou storks, white storks and pelicans that feed on the dead and dying fish.

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