At least 15 tonnes of trout die in Treska near Kichevo

At least 15 tonnes of the native trout Salmo macedonicus were found dead along the Treska River near Kichevo after the water suddenly cleared, authorities and the local concessionaire reported today.

The concessionaire, Hunter Fish, estimates the mass die-off occurred along roughly a 15-kilometre stretch from the playground in Vlaznimi and the Kichevo wastewater treatment plant down to the village of Lisichani. Most specimens recovered weighed between one and two kilograms; several measured three to four kilograms and some exceeded four kilograms. In certain pools around the riverbanks crews recorded about 50 dead fish at a time.

Hunter Fish warned residents not to collect or eat the dead fish because they are not safe for consumption.

Suspected causes

Company representatives pointed to several possible causes: an unusually low water level in the Treska, problems with the Kichevo wastewater treatment plant that may have left sewage untreated, and the impact of construction works on the new highway, which they say have damaged multiple springs and small waterways in the area.

They also flagged additional sewage discharges in the Kichevo catchment — coming from tributaries and from the Treska itself — as a contributing problem.

The exact cause of the die-off and the level of pollution will be established by competent institutions following on-site inspections and laboratory analyses of the river water and the dead fish. The concessionaire's statement was issued by Besar Elezi.

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