Rural Hungary

A week or so ago, I read an article saying that Lake water levels were the highest and cleanest since the 1969's. Great I thought as the dropping water level had been a concern for many Hungarians we spoke to.
So if heavy metal pollution levels have dropped, what could be causing the recent increase in seasonal fish deaths?

Apparently, the total of removed fish is now well over 20,000. All very strange but in true Hungarian, waste not want not style, one reporter advised locals to get down to the lake and gather a certain type of fish - he even gave details on the best way to prepare the fish

Peter_in_Hungary

That reporter must be crazy, you NEVER eat animals that have died of natural causes unless you absolutely know the reason for the demise and even then if you don't know how long ago the death occurred you have know way of knowing how fresh or otherwise the animal is. If the fish died of poisoning for example you would also be consuming the poison. Sick and diseased animals or fish are not allowed to enter the food chain.

Rural Hungary

Exactly what I thought, it might have been his sense of humour or lost in translation It specifically mentioned one species, which is relatively new to the Lake.

FenTiger

Some people eat road kill. I have never tried it but recall when I was quite small a pheasant hit our car and my father put it in the boot and gave it to the relatives we were visiting. They didn't flinch. No idea whether they ate it.

Peter_in_Hungary

No problem with road kill - this is not natural causes. I have eaten quite several pheasants that I have hit and even a small deer that jumped in front of my car (when I was living in the UK) although the value of the venison did not cover the cost of the side light etc.! There don't seem to be many pheasants in Hungary so I haven't had one yet, but in the UK we were near a pheasant shoot so suicidal pheasants were not uncommon

Rural Hungary

We drive the "suicide run" four times a day and so far I have only taken the end off a squirrels tail If you eat road kill, you would be in paradise here as you could easily stock the freezer - or do as the neighbours do and shoot them.
Hope the venison was worth it Peter Agree that it's different to sick animals, so long as you check the kill is fairly fresh, different story with a sick animal - I have a tale about a sick pig and not discovering it had been sick until I cooked it but it's a bit gross for on here........

fidobsa

Yes, we are sometimes critical of how some Hungarians treat animals but they don't seem to do anything as obscene as rearing pheasants for sports shooting. You might just as well go shooting chickens.

cathyg

Strange, our Viszla seems to find a pheasant nearly every day on our walks in the local forest. If only we had a gun!!!

Anyone know why so many fish have died this year??

Rural Hungary

We have a few round our way though not as many as in the UK.
Jury still seems to be out on the cause, have you tried searching google for "mass fish deaths" apparently about 7 or 8 in the past month and some of the conspiracy theories are way out there!
What's interesting is that the deaths seem to have started at the same time as the May storms though that could just be coincidental.

PaulinEger

I disagree, the hunters bait the same spot time after time to attract deer and boar and then sit 50-100 metres away and shoot them when they come to feed :/ Now that really is taking the p...
I'm not against hunting at all and have been out with hunters several times but I believe in shooting for use, not sport. Most of the hunters that I know only shoot for sport and happily kill just for the fun of killing. That I don't agree with but hey, we're all different and I accept their choices, just as I hope that they accept mine

Rural Hungary

They seem to be putting it down to a combination of factors including a virus and the fluctuations in temperature/weather.

FenTiger

Found this about mass fish deaths in Lake Balaton. It dates back to 2000. Wonder if there's been any changes since.
Effect of the pesticide Deltamethrin on the ... [Neurotoxicology. 2000] - PubMed - NCBI

Also found this.
http://budapestbeacon.com/news-in-br...-balaton-swim/

Hungary Hippo

Not really connected but probably not worthy of its own thread either - the BBC website has reported a case of anthrax in some illegally slaughtered Hungarian beef. Which is nice

BBC News - Deadly anthrax disease 'discovered in Hungarian beef'

FenTiger

I'd be quite worried about the above if the fish had been eating beef!

I will be somewhere near the River Tisza this August visiting friends of relatives who came over here last April. Gulp ..... think I will avoid both fish and beef at the planned BBQ!

Rural Hungary

Noooo I now have a mental image of cattle nibbling pike perch... You might just have cracked the case Fen