Hawke’s Bay Regional Council responded to a pollution incident earlier this week after a significant number of dead eels were discovered in Ruahapia Stream by Kenilworth Road, Hastings.

Regional Council staff are working closely with Hastings District Council staff to investigate the cause of more than 100 dead eels, which began dying from Tuesday.

The Regional Council is gathering a full picture of the likely cause of the eel deaths to inform the next steps it will take.

Katrina Brunton, HBRC’s Group Manager of Regulation says environmental incidents like this are unacceptable.

“Anyone who has information to give us a better picture of what happened should contact our 24/7 Pollution Hotline on 0800 108 838, whether anonymously or otherwise,” says Ms Brunton.

“We have zero tolerance for pollution incidents, particularly where they cause significant environmental harm,” she adds.

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