WASHINGTON: A leading WA scientist says pollution may have killed more than 700 fish in Cockburn Sound, south of Perth.
Over a four-day period from November 19-22, officers from the Department of Fisheries plucked hundreds of different species of fish from in and around the sound after getting a tip-off from anglers.
The sound is a popular fishing spot with more than 12,000 boaties using the water each year.
It is also used for commercial fishing with close to 130 different species of fish in the sheltered water body.
But there is also heavy industry on the coastal strip with port facilities, naval bases and shipyards.
Fisheries Biosecurity research scientist Michael Snow said with tests so far not finding any signs of algal bloom or disease, pollution could not be ruled out as the cause of death of the fish.