Investigation continues into dead crayfish

23 December 2016

Waikato Regional Council’s incident response team is back at Oraka Stream in Putaruru for the fourth consecutive day investigating the possible cause of a large number of crayfish deaths that were reported earlier this week.

The council was alerted to the dead koura on Tuesday after they were spotted by a local fisherman during a visit to the river near the Galway Street area.

“We’re determined to get to the bottom of this and will be continuing our investigation over Christmas if necessary,” says Waikato Regional Council’s incident response team leader, Derek Hartley.

“We’ve got a dedicated team out there undertaking extensive sampling as well as a wider inspection of the area for potential sources of contamination.”

Mr Hartley says the cause hasn’t been immediately obvious and no other fish appear to have been affected.

Water sample results taken are expected to be available early next week.

Mr Hartley encourages anyone who has further information or has seen dead koura or other aquatic life in the area to contact Waikato Regional Council’s incident response team on 0800 800 401.

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