Thousands of fish in Mundalama lagoon have been found dead since Saturday evening much to the anxiety of the fisher folk and the environmentalists.
President of Mundalama St. James Fisheries Society Marthenu Fernando said thousands of dead fish had been lashed ashore to a distance of about three kilometres along the lagoon. He said shoals of dead fish not yet lashed ashore were floating in the lagoon.
He pointed out that the death of fish for an unidentified cause had resulted in the loss of livelihood of more than 1000 fishermen. He said the nauseating smell from the carcasses of dead fish had created serious environmental damage and a health hazard.
However, Puttalam District Asst. Director of Fisheries I.M.G. Sarathchandra said he was aware of the incident and that he would carry out a formal investigation with the help of NARA.