Environment Agency 'keeping an open mind' about reason for dead fish in Barnham Rife

Residents started posting about the fish on Facebook on August 2, with pictures showing an unusual amount of trout lined up by the side of the rife.

Now, an Environment Agency spokesperson has reassured residents that they are looking into the issue, although recent investigations have been inconclusive.

"Tests on the water carried out by our specialist officers proved inconclusive. We are keeping an open mind what happened. We’ve not ruled out pollution, but a temporary dip in water quality following heavy rain is not unusual.

“Anyone with new information on what could have happened should call our incident hotline immediately: 0800 807060.”

A conservation officer for the Wild Trout Trust said the trout could have been killed by any number of factors, but the issue was most likely related to water quality.

“When you get this many fish dead, you suspect something has happened. So it’s either a disease issue, which is very rare and unlikely, or there was a water quality incident.”

Although some residents are concerned the rife might have been subject to run-off pollution, the conservation officer said the reality is much more complicated, and there are any number of ways the trout could have been killed, or the water infected.

Brown trout often find their way into the sea via tidal flaps and they are especially sensitive to changes in the oxygen levels of their habitats, the officer said. This means the pollutants could have come from any number of sources, including local homes, or businesses

"Trout are particularly sensitive to low oxygen, so anything that’s highly organic like milk or dairy products, anything which has a high oxygen demand, can suck the oxygen out of the water, hurting the fish. There could be a range of issues at play.”

The Wild Trout Trust is a conservation charity which works to improve habitats for trout across the UK and Ireland, they provide expert guidance and project delivery to river trusts, wildlife trusts and conservation groups all over the country in order to ensure trout are well protected.