Investigation launched as walker discovers more than 50 dead fish floating in Scots lake

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An investigation has been launched by Scotland’s environmental watchdog after dozens of dead fish were discovered washed up on the banks of a lake near Sauchie, in Clackmannanshire.A horrified walker discovered at least 50 fish floating dead on the water at Gartmorn Dam on Wednesday, January 4.In shocking photos, the school of fish can be seen floating upside down on the north-western shoreline of the dam.The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) says that it is aware of reports of dead fish in the water there – dating back to last month – and has launched a probe into the discovery.No obvious cause has yet been identified, with SEPA officers left surmising that freezing temperatures and a lack of oxygen led to the fish dying.A SEPA spokesperson told the Observer: “We have received a number of reports from members of the public regarding dead fish in a pond at Gartmorn Dam.“A SEPA officer attended to investigate on Thursday, December 22, and again on Sunday, January 1, and no pollution was identified.

It is suspected the fish may have died due to a combination of cold weather, ice and a lack of oxygen and the incident has been referred to Marine Scotland.“We would like to thank the members of the public who reported this and continue to encourage anyone who spots signs of pollution to report this to SEPA online at www.sepa.org.uk/report or by calling 0800 80 70 60.”Click here for more news and sport from the Stirling area.Gartmorn Dam is an artificial freshwater lake, built in 1711-12 as a reservoir to supply water to hydraulic machines used in Alloa’s mining industry and is one of Scotland’s earliest constructed reservoirs.Scottish Water says it has not been made aware of the discovery of the fish, but a