According to the fisheries officials, the fish were on their way to Menindee, a small town in New South Wales state, after the third mass fish kill in the area in less than two months. The NSW Department of Primary Industries said the latest kills were likely linked to rains and a sharp drop in temperature after an extended period of hot weather that contributed to plummeting oxygen levels in the water.
The state government has installed aerators in some waterways to keep the levels of oxygen up for fish, but it is believed a temporary solution.