The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

Investigations under way after mass fish death in the Clive River

By Victoria White
Reporter·Hawkes Bay Today·
18 Dec, 2017 05:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

An aerial photo showing the mass of weed trapped in the Clive River. PHOTO/SUPPLIED.

An aerial photo showing the mass of weed trapped in the Clive River. PHOTO/SUPPLIED.

The death of nearly 200 fish in a Hawke's Bay river is believed to have been caused by a perfect storm of factors - from less rainfall and warmth to, even, nearby construction.

The grisly discovery of the dead mullet was made by Clive River neighbours and Kohupatiki Marae members at Whakatu on Saturday morning, with weed clogging up the river.

Yesterday, a Hawke's Bay Regional Council spokeswoman said a number of circumstances were believed to have led to the deaths, and staff would be investigating.

"We're checking off everything that could be part of the problem."

The weeds get worse in summer and become thicker due to excessive nutrients in the water.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A weed-cutting boat had gone out on the river above Havelock North about three weeks ago. The weed had been caught near Essex Park, which was where weed had been planted a couple of years ago and since undergone "exceptional growth".

This boat is part of the work undertaken by community project Operation Patiki and the council to clean the river.

This problem has occurred in the past, caused as the boat only works in segments, so the cut weeds travel downstream and clog the waterway.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The spokeswoman said the circumstances this year - from the weed growth to very little rainfall last month - led to the more extreme result. The construction of the nearby Whakatu interchange had also played a role, as it changed where the weed was caught, which used to be further upstream.

"It's going to continue so staff are looking at changing the weed cutting or developing a weed catcher," she said. "We have to control the weeds."

Due to the high number of fish getting caught, council scientists yesterday also examined the river flow, water quality, and oxygen levels.

It was determined water quality was not a factor and that, although oxygen levels were lower than normal, these were not enough to explain the incident.

The council had tried to remove weeds in the past, but they just grew back.

It was hoped the weed boat would get back to work on the river early this week.

At the weekend marae member Tom McGuire, who helped set up Operation Patiki in 2008 to clean the river, told Hawke's Bay Today the fish died because they swam up the river, flipped on top of the thick weeds and got stuck.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

The Country: 2025 Young Farmer of the Year, Hugh Jackson

07 Jul 01:39 AM
Premium
The Country

Lost wedding ring found 15 years later at Christmas tree farm

06 Jul 11:43 PM
The Country

Young industry leader thinks plant production is 'underrated'

06 Jul 11:39 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

The Country: 2025 Young Farmer of the Year, Hugh Jackson

The Country: 2025 Young Farmer of the Year, Hugh Jackson

07 Jul 01:39 AM

Hugh Jackson, Antonia Watson, Stuart Nash, and Phil Duncan.

Premium
Lost wedding ring found 15 years later at Christmas tree farm

Lost wedding ring found 15 years later at Christmas tree farm

06 Jul 11:43 PM
Young industry leader thinks plant production is 'underrated'

Young industry leader thinks plant production is 'underrated'

06 Jul 11:39 PM
Thefts fail to wilt trust-based vege project

Thefts fail to wilt trust-based vege project

06 Jul 10:15 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP