Townsville City Council crews are cleaning up fish that died after the recent severe weather event, and may have been flushed out of the Ross dam during the peak flows.
Several species of fish, including large barramundi have been found along the banks of the Ross River in various places including Douglas and Annandale.
Numbers of dead or dying fish may increase over the next few days and can be reported to Council.
A dedicated Council team is physically collecting dead fish where safe to do so and undertaking a biological process to turn the material into natural fertiliser for the riverbanks.
Where they cannot safely collect fish, the team are applying a biological stimulant to reduce odour and speed up the decomposition process.
These treated fish lose odour quickly and become biologically safe for the river.
Acting Mayor Ann-Maree Greaney said Council crews had been proactively responding to the fish kill as reported.
"Council crews have been out and cleaning up the dead fish to reduce odour and risk to community," Cr Greaney said.
"Unfortunately, fish kills are to be expected after the large amount of rain and water we've had flushed from the dam and into our waterways.
"The treated fish frames are able to become a natural fertiliser after it goes through a quick biological transformational process."
Local Councillor Suzy Batkovic said she was pleased the Council was able to prioritise staff during a busy cleanup to quickly get onto the job after the dead fish were reported.
"The Ross River will take a bit of time to get back to normal after such a big rain event, but Council crews will be out there working to make sure any issues are fixed as soon as possible," Cr Batkovic said.
