Thousands of fish dead in Middle Fly lagoons

Dead and rotten fish can be seen continuously from the mouth of Kai Lagoon to the end of the lagoon, including Barramundi, Catfish, Saratoga, Prawns, freshwater turtles *(Supplied)*

Manda Village in the Middle Fly District of Western Province has reported the worst fish kill in its history, with community leaders saying the current El Niño has killed hundreds of thousands of fish and is worse than the 2015 drought.

Community leader Raynard Loka said the deaths started in September and became worse in early October

"This is the first time we have seen anything like this. In 2015 we never experienced this many fish dying.

This year's El Niño is worse plenty fish died, hundreds of thousands," Mr. Loka said.

dead and rotten fish and freshwater turtles *(Supplied)*

Dead and rotten fish can be seen continuously from the mouth of Kai Lagoon to the end of the lagoon, including Barramundi, Catfish, Saratoga, Prawns, freshwater turtles and other small fish.

The community depends on for food and cash income from markets across Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Fly Zibo LLG Manager Noel Kaiyun told NBC News that two more lagoons have been hit but have not been reported.

Kai Lagoon in Manda Village, Fly Zibo LLG, Middle fly District in Western Province. Water level is still dropping in the area and alot of fish continue to die. *(Supplied)*

He revealed that Agu Lagoon in Kuem and Mipan villages and Bai Lagoon in Wangawanga village have faced similar mass deaths, with lagoon systems now shallow, warm and trapped with no oxygen flow.

Affected villagers are now calling for urgent assistance and monitoring as more fish continue to die.