The men in waders looked solemn as they heaved buckets of dead fish from a boat and lay the corpses on a tarpaulin stretched out on the riverbank.
They had been doing this for eight days near the city of Szczecin, faces masked against the nauseating stench. "I just feel numb now," said one worker, sadly.
Something is killing fish - in their thousands - on the River Oder.
The river forms a border between Poland and Germany. Despite weeks of investigation, experts from both countries have been unable to establish exactly what is to blame. Hundreds of tonnes of dead fish have already been removed.
Scientists suspect someone polluted the water with a substance that appears to have caused high salt levels. That encouraged golden algae to flourish. The toxins it emitted killed the fish. The rotting corpses then further reduced the water quality.
A deadly, chemical chain reaction which, they say, may have been exacerbated by a hot summer and low river levels. But they have yet to identify the original pollutant.
"It will be difficult to get a clear answer to what caused it," says Andrzej Kapusta, of the Inland Fisheries Institute. We joined him and his team on board a small boat as they tested the water in the Oder.
"The scale of this ecological disaster is unprecedented in Poland. It's a catastrophe. We have never found so many dead creatures, so many dead fish, clams or snails. It's the first time it's happened, and it is a serious warning."
Hundreds of miles up-river, near the city of Gliwice, Ewa Sternal looks out over the boats bobbing in a small marina and says she saw it coming.
Ewa runs the marina, which lies within a working port. Cranes shift large metal containers near piles of coal on the opposite bank as she explains that the water here flows, via the Gliwice canal, into the Oder.
People here first reported fish dying, and the water changing, back in March.
Ewa describes how the fish appeared to try to get out of the port, gathering near its entrance, "to gasp for air, for oxygen". When it happened again in June, she began to investigate for herself.
"All the signs and traces that I've followed led me to conclude that the pollution got into the water directly here. I talked to many people, conducted interviews. My conclusion is that someone dumped chemicals into the port."
But who? Suspicion has fallen, with as yet no evidence, on Polish industry and Polish mines.
Police have interviewed more than 200 witnesses and investigated 12 sites. A reward of more than €200,000 (£170,000) for information leading to the arrest of a perpetrator remains unclaimed.
Fishermen we spoke to near Gliwice, who told us they also saw fish dying in March, expressed scepticism that anyone would be caught. "Someone's responsible, someone's to blame, but we'll probably never find out who," said one.
Investigators have, however, discovered nearly 300 unregistered outflow pipes and are investigating nearly 60 of them in connection to the fish deaths.
The authorities on both sides of the Oder have acknowledged errors in the handling of the case. It is generally recognised that they were too slow to react to signs that something was wrong. And an undignified spat between the Polish and German authorities over their respective approaches was not helpful.
Experts, like Andrzej Kapusta, say it is important to review the way the river is used. Worryingly, they warn that it could happen again, particularly while the original source of pollution goes unidentified.
"We need a precise monitoring system, an online monitoring that will inform the adequate authorities much more quickly," he says. "A quicker response is certainly needed to prevent such disasters."
Meanwhile, fish continue to die. Their corpses collected and sent for incineration.
As the workers near Szczecin drag large dead carp and catfish from the river, a pump works away in a desperate attempt to get oxygen into the water. From here the river flows into a lagoon and on into the Baltic Sea.
It is hoped that the sheer amount of water means the toxins will be diluted, but there are concerns that what some here describe as a "wave of poison" will continue its deadly course downstream.
"Right now we have to wait for the worst to be over," says Lukas Potkanski, from the Polish Fishermen's Association. "The most poisonous water has to flow down and mix with the healthy water."
Lukas gestured to the corpses of carp and catfish and told us the fish recovered here were sometimes 20 or 30 years old.
Life, he believes, will return to the Oder. But it will be years, perhaps decades, before the river's health is fully restored.
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Deborah Cox, Kardinal Offishall and Jully Black are among the group of musicians set to appear at the inaugural Legacy Awards. Founders of The Black Academy — the Canadian initiative to celebrate Black talent behind the awards, launched in 2020 by brothers Shamier Anderson and Stephan James — announced the lineup Thursday, as well as the night's presenters. They will include King Bach, former governor general Michaëlle Jean, Amanda Parris, Odario Williams, Arisa Cox, Brandon Gonez and Kathleen N
VANCOUVER — Lululemon Athletica Inc. says revenue climbed 29 per cent in the second quarter compared with the same period last year as it saw sales climb across its operations including higher gains in both online and international segments. The Vancouver-based athletic clothing company, which reports in U.S. dollars, said Thursday it had revenue of US$1.9 billion for the quarter ending July 31, up from US$1.45 billion last year, as sales increased 28 per cent in North America and 35 per cent in
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While Yukon's environment minister says the territory is making inroads into land conservation, he has not committed to targets set by the federal government. The federal government has pledged to conserve 25 per cent of national lands by 2025. This is a stepping stone toward a more ambitious target of 30 per cent by 2030. Asked whether the Yukon will formally adopt these targets, Clarke didn't provide a definitive answer. "We anticipate we will reach 25 per cent set aside, even prior to 2025,"
Canada's most populous province, Ontario, said on Wednesday that residents can come out of isolation with a mask as soon as 24 hours after their COVID-19 symptoms dissipate, under a strategy to homogenize guidance for all respiratory illnesses. Asymptomatic COVID-positive residents, as well as those who come in contact with an infected person, can go to work or school but they must wear a face mask for 10 days, the Ontario government said. The province previously asked the public to isolate for five days from the onset of COVID symptoms.
ZURICH (AP) — Chile's appeal hearing to challenge Ecuador’s place at this year's World Cup because of an alleged ineligible player has been set for Sept. 15. FIFA said Thursday its appeals committee has invited Byron Castillo, the Ecuador player at the center of the dispute, to be available as a witness. No target was given for a verdict barely two months before Ecuador is scheduled to open the World Cup against host Qatar on Nov. 20 in Doha. Although FIFA’s appeal judges rarely overturn a rulin
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Longtime overdose prevention advocate Sarah Blyth knows marijuana isn't a cure-all for issues of addiction and overdose, but she says it can help some people. "People use it for sleeping, they use it for pain, they use it for trauma ... sometimes using it instead of opiates," said Blyth, founder of the High Hopes Foundation and the Overdose Prevention Society safe injection site on East Hastings Street in Vancouver. High Hopes started in 2017 as a harm-reduction program that distributed medical
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When you want one more dish on the table, when you want a beer snack, how about this quick and easy addictive spicy garlic panfried okra? Rubbing with salt, peeling off the calyx, and other troublesome preparations on the textbook are completely omitted with an easier, just as delicious end result. This recipe goes amazing with a glass of beer as a healthy, late night snack, and is an easy way to get in a little extra fiber into your diet. ============================================================= ❥ YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDvCGAygv511zlEkVAWQfbA ❥ Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/hungrycookingstudio/ ============================================================= 00:08 Tips On preparing Okura 03:16 Pan Frying Okura ● Ingredients (for one) ・Okra … 8 to 10 ・Garlic ... 2 to 4 ・Chilli pepper... 2 ・Katsuobushi … half pack ・Salt ・Black pepper ・Soy sauce ・Olive oil ● Recipe ① Mince Garlic and remove seeds from dried chili peppers. ② Slice through and remove the stem and calyx of the okra, cutting longer pieces in half diagonally. ③ Pour a dollop of olive oil into a frying pan and add garlic and chilli pepper over low heat. ④ When the garlic is aromatic, raise the heat and add the okra. ⑤ When the okra becomes somewhat soft, sprinkle with salt and black pepper. When the Okra is slightly burnt pour in a splash of soy sauce and cook off moisture until lightly burned. Toss to incorporate and finish by sprinkling and tossing in a handful of bonito flakes. ● Cooking tips ・On textbook preparation, Okra is usually rubbed with salt to remove the fuzz, but I don't do it because the finished product won't change much even if I don't do it. ・When okra is boiled, it needs the head on because it will be watery with out it, but when frying it, it's not necessary, so it can be just cut off in the preparation. ・Pour the soy sauce onto the hot frying pan to burn, and when the fragrant aroma comes out, mix it with the okra to bring out the flavor.
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