Speculation that the hundreds dead fish found floating in the saline marshland of Il-Magħluq in Marsascala had been dumped overnight have proven to be unfounded.

The fisheries department yesterday issued a statement saying that upon inspection, it resulted that the fish – mostly bream (awrat) and sea bass (spnot) – died of oxygen starvation.

This is a repeat phenomenon: the same thing happened two years ago, when large quantities of fish living in the brackish water pool died due to lack of circulation.

The problems stem from the layout of Il-Maghluq, a Natura 2000 site.

The brackish water forms as a result of freshwater from the surrounding fields and rainwater entering the pool that mix with the seawater that enters through the connection under the road.

With the upgrading of roadworks due to the surrounding area becoming more residential, the natural layout of the pond had to be aided by pipes beneath the road running to the sea.

Small fish have come in through the interconnecting pipe when they were still young, and then because of lack of water circulation suffered from oxygen deprivation.

Marsascala mayor Mario Calleja told The Sunday Times of Malta the pipes were too small.

“It is not a matter of regular maintenance to allow for the required flow – the pipes would immediately clog up anyway – they have to be replaced with proper channels,” he said.

The site falls under the remit of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, but applications for an overhaul of the water system have been pending since 2011.