HINDIYAH, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi officials and fishermen are at a loss to explain how hundreds of tons of carp have suddenly died in fish farms in the Euphrates River, fueling anxieties about soaring water pollution.
Local authorities used excavators to skim dead fish from the river surface near the town of Hindiyah, 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Baghdad, where residents and local farmers have long complained about substandard water management.
Ayad Talibi, head of Iraq’s Fish Producers’ Syndicate, called it "annihilation" and a blow to the country’s "strategic fish reserve."
Water pollution and scarcity have been on the forefront of Iraqi discourse after matters reached crisis levels last summer.
Health officials said some 100,000 people were taken to hospital for stomach illnesses in the southern Basra province, where sludge and yellow water was recorded flowing out of the taps.
Demonstrators rioted, demanding better services.
Wissam Muslani, deputy governor for Babil province, which includes Hindiyah, said initial tests suggested it was the result of a virus that infected the gills.
"My first message is that make sure nobody eats any fish.
Photos and video of the carp-clogged Euphrates have had an immediate impact on fish sales, according to fishmongers from Hindiyah to Baghdad.
Ali Ibrahim, a vendor by the side of the highway outside Hindiyah, said he was closing his stall and returning to his family.

Fresh water is one of our most precious natural resources.
We rely on it for everything from powering our homes and businesses, to drinking, showering and washing our cars, to boating, fishing and other recreation.
I serve on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), which has jurisdiction over America’s water infrastructure.
Our committee recently passed comprehensive legislation to update and maintain water infrastructure systems such as dams and levees across the U.S. By strengthening the dams and levees used to manage our nations’ rivers, we’re taking steps toward protecting the lives and property of those downstream by reducing flood risks.
Since taking office, I have been working to make sure the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is doing all they can to properly manage the Missouri River to avoid a flood like what we experienced in 2011.
I was happy that a number of my priorities related to the Army Corps were included in the water infrastructure bill that passed out of the EPW Committee.
It prioritizes the implementation of the Upper Missouri River Basin snowpack monitoring system that I’ve been calling for, which will help mitigate the possibility of a major flood event for those living or working along the Missouri River.
It also includes a provision for the Army Corps of Engineers to carry out a project for shoreline stabilization on the Lower Brule Reservation.
to secure a verbal commitment toward addressing an Obama-era proposal known as the “surplus water rule.” This proposed rule could restrict South Dakotans’ access to water in Army Corps-controlled land.
South Dakotans are legally entitled to use the water, so providing relief from this rule is necessary.

The fishermen folk were also suffering skin diseases due to chemical contaminated water, Fishermen Cooperative Society president Pappu Ramesh said.
Open Yadadri-Bhongir: Over 10 tonnes of fish died in Pedda Cheruvu of Indrapalangaram village of Ramannapet mandal in the district due to chemical contaminated water from Musi River that reached the village tank on Sunday.
Pedda Chervu is one of the tanks in the district which is being filled with water from Musi river.
The Musi water which was contaminated with chemicals turned fatal to the fish that were being grown in Pedda Chervu.
This would affect the livelihood of 500 fishermen families in the area.
On Sunday, a huge number of dead fish started floating on the waters of Pedda Chervu.
Speaking to ‘Telangana Today’, Fishermen Cooperative Society president Pappu Ramesh deplored that they had alerted the officials of the Irrigation Department not to release the water to village tanks during the rains as the problem arise during the monsoon season.
But there was no response from the officials to their request.
He said that the nets set up by fishermen in Pedda Cheruvu for fishing was also damaged due to chemicals.
“About 6-7 lakh of fish seeds were released in Pedda Cheruvu as a part of a special drive taken up by the State government, but did not grow up properly due to the contaminated water”, he said.

Decimated by drought, salmon fishing teeters on the brink in California.
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Five dry years brought abysmal conditions for the hatching and survival of new fish.
The number of adult fall-run Chinook salmon has subsequently plummeted, with regulators this year expecting the worst return ever of fish to spawn on the Klamath River: 54,000, down from 1.6 million in 2012.
It’s a brutal blow for the salmon fishing industry.
State and federal officials have imposed severe restrictions, with ocean and river fisheries in the most northern swath of California closed entirely for the rest of the year, even for recreational anglers.
The Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture will try to bring further attention to the salmon fishing crisis with a hearing on its causes, impacts and possible policy actions, 1 p.m. in Room 2040 of the Capitol.
That issue, a symptom of the state’s broader housing crunch, will be the focus of the Joint Committee on the Arts’ annual review of the creative economy, 1:30 p.m. in Room 3191 of the Capitol.
Those who need help putting it all into context may want to check out the latest conference from the Independent Voter Project, the largely corporate-funded nonprofit that promotes a less partisan approach to politics, focusing on the state of health care in California.
They will present ACA 15, a proposed constitutional amendment requiring voter approval of enhanced pension benefits, 10:30 a.m. in Room 125 of the Capitol.

Drop in catch forced 80K fisherfolk to pull out sand in Thane.
“Locals who struggled to make ends meet were swayed away by the sand mafia to pull out sand illegally for quick money,” said Nandkumar Pawar, head, SEAP.
Several come from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand for employment opportunities.
Fishermen from Gaimukh, Mandve, Kemnidive, Kharbao, Kolshet, Kalher, Kasheli, Waghbil and others, all mostly in Thane and Palghar district, act as the mafia and allocate 12 labourers on each of their boats,” said Pawar.
It is collected and transported to the heads, who send it to industries for construction purposes,” he added.
The state government, in accordance with the national guidelines for sustainable sand mining has appointed district level committees to control illegal sand mining.
On Saturday, the Thane collector, MMB officials and Sumaira Abdulali from Awaaz Foundation inspected sites to for illegal sand mining at various locations in Thane district.
Raids will be carried out in the coming weeks under the supervision of the Thane collector, local police and MMB officers,” said a local MMB officer who accompanied the group.
There was no back up or protection,” she said adding, “The state has to use modern technology to implement policies that can track the extraction, transport and use of this sand.
“There are no boats to enter deep creeks or river areas, where the work is carried out.” State government officials said that the responsibility to reduce sand mining was solely upon the district collector.

Drought has taken a toll on Maine’s wild brook trout.
That’s way better than stressing the wild populations.” State officials have not placed restrictions on fishing for wild brook trout this spring, but biologists say they would not hesitate to react should the situation worsen.
“I would say the impact, particularly in stream systems, was very large,” said Jim Pellerin, a regional fisheries biologist in southern Maine.
Once ponds open across the state, biologists and fishermen will keep a close eye on the status of wild brook trout.
“The wild fish population just crashed,” said Obrey, Maine’s brook trout specialist.
“There are ponds I know that have really small spring inlets.
I did observe trout spawning in the Kennebago over Columbus Day as usual, although the water level was much lower.” Steve Heinz, a director with the Sebago Chapter of fish conservation group Trout Unlimited, said he saw many wild brook trout streams in the foothills of the White Mountains dry up last summer when he was replacing culverts.
So the Sebago chapter works to replace culverts to help the wild fish move between different waters.
He said if prolonged dry periods become more common, fishermen should just stop fishing to help wild brook trout populations.
People are delusional to think catch-and-release works 100 percent of the time.

Disturbing images of a chopped up baby dolphin on a street in China has enraged netizens after going viral on local social media. Sliced chunk pieces of the dolphin are seen lying in blood-soaked containers being peddled by fishermen in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, Shanghaiist reports. Local authorities have now launched an investigation into the shocking photos. According to the police in Zhuhai, the remains of the dolphin’s body…