The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) has said the recent incident of dead fishes washed ashore the coastlines of communities in the Niger Delta was caused by pollution from toxic substances discharged into the waters.

The Director-General of the NOSDRA, Mr Idris Musa, in a statement on Thursday said this was the outcome of investigations into the incident.

Musa had announced on April 23 that the NOSDRA was coordinating a multi-agency probe to unravel the cause of the death of fishes at the shores of Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States amidst speculations of oil pollution.

The agency had in its preliminary investigation ruled out the possibility of oil spill being responsible for the massive death of fishes, which started in February.

He said that findings showed the discharge of toxic materials into the Atlantic may have come from land as the wastes from domestic and industrial sources often empties into the water body.

Musa listed the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR), National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the Federal Institute for Fisheries Research as the agencies involved in the exercise.

According to him, it was discovered that the high toxicity of the dead fishes and water samples were caused by pollution from heavy metals from industrial and domestic wastes.

The NOSDRA boss said the results of the tests conducted confirmed its preliminary findings that the death of the fishes were not linked to oil leakages as the levels of hydrocarbon in the samples tested were within regulatory limits.

He stated, “The results of the laboratory tests were perused, and we make explanation on the parameters of concerns that were analysed for the purpose of clarity and understanding.

“As earlier mentioned, the findings did not show hydrocarbons (oil) as the possible cause of the death of the fishes.

“In the course of the analyses, Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH), Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAR), Benzene, Toluene Ethylene and Xylene (BTEX) were within regulatory standard limits in water, sediments and fish tissue analyses.

“However, there were some heavy metals such as Cadmium, Chromium Copper, Zinc and Iron that exceeded regulatory standard limits in the coastlines of thethree states, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers.”

Musa continued, “In the water samples taken at the coastline in Bayelsa State, the values of Cadmium and Iron were higher than the regulatory standards limit.

“The Cadmium in the water was between 0.001 and 0.173 miligramme per litre (mg/l) with an average value of 0.064 mg/l. This is above the regulatory limit of 0.05 mg/l as well as the control sample value of 0.08 mg/l.

“Similarly, the value of the iron content in water in the area ranged between1.914 – 3.408 mg/l with a mean value of 2.503 mg/l. This is above the regulatory limit of 1.00 mg/l.

“The values of the parameters in sediments were substantially within regulatory limits. The values of Chromium and Copper in the sampled dead fishes’ tissues were slightly higher than the European Union ( EU ) Standards limits.”

He said that having ruled out oil pollution as cause for the dead fishes, the plausible causes could partially be attributable to other human-related pollution activities which likely land-based.

Musa said: “In this case, while it is commonly observed that most industrial and domestic wastes, which contain heavy metals such as cadmium, iron, zinc and copper, found their ways into drainages and onward transfer to the water bodies.

“Their deleterious impact may be negative to aquatic species, other mammals and human beings. The main sources of these are batteries, galvanised pipes, fertilisers, sewage sludge and plastics.

“Such may be the case in the analyses of dead fishes found at the coastlines in Delta and Bayelsa where Chromium was found in fish tissue.

“Copper was also found in the fish tissue sampled in Delta State but not in those of Bayelsa and Rivers State.

“Furthermore, a sudden release of heavy metals is not likely to kill fishes except those trapped at the point of release because, Cadmium in particular is highly toxic.

“Long term accumulation (chronic) rather than short term (acute) heavy metals could cause the death of fishes. It is also curious that a specific species of fish is allegedly involved in the circumstance under consideration.”