Death on a huge scale: Millions of fish found in Rio 2016 sailing venue

Thousands of dead fish have been found floating in the sailing venue for next year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The carcasses of twaite shad - small silver fish belonging to the herring family - have filled huge swathes of water in Guanabara Bay, and were even found washing up on the coastline outside Rio’s international airport. They were discovered by inspectors testing pollution in the bay, which has consistently high levels of garbage and untreated sewage in the water. The city’s environmental agency says it has launched an investigation, with results expected in a week’s time while officials say it is likely the fish fell victim to the intense drought.

Every time we have a negotiation, the bidding process [for the project] slows and postpones things.

State governor Luiz Fernando Pezao

The promise to clean up the notoriously filthy Guanabara Bay was part of Rio’s Olympic bid. This week, the International Olympic Committee said the city was making “solid progress” in its preparations for the 2016 Games, following a visit on Monday. But last month, the Government admitted it would miss its target of reducing water pollution by 80% by the start of the Olympics next August. Mass fish deaths are common in waterways across Rio. The local O Globo newspaper reported this week that 60 tonnes of dead fish were collected in November alone.

Americas Dead fish Rio