Netizens shared a photo of dead fish seen floating at the Karamunsing River since Thursday morning (Jan 9).
SABAH social media circles have been abuzz since Thursday (Jan 9) with photos of hundreds of dead fish floating on river surfaces being shared.
It is said that the fish were found from around 8am that day in the Karamunsing and Sembulan Rivers in Kota Kinabalu, located about 3km apart.
Did this happen there as claimed?
Verdict:
TRUE
In a text message to The Star on Friday (Jan 10), Sabah Fisheries Department director Azhar Kassim confirmed the incident and said samples of fish and river water have been collected for analysis.
He said the department was alerted to the matter after social media users shared photos of the dead fish.
"From the photos, my first impression is that the fish died because of water quality issues.
"However, I have instructed the biosecurity team to investigate," he said, adding that the results are expected within two or three days.
The Karamunsing River runs near the city's commercial area, while the Sembulan River passes through several villages to the south of the city centre.
Some social media users suggested toxins as the cause.
This is not the first time such an incident has occurred in the city, with harmful algal blooms previously blamed for similar mass fish deaths.
These blooms, which occur in lakes, rivers and coastal waters, can release toxins harmful to both humans and aquatic life.
They are primarily caused by cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae.
