According to the Polish government, increased mercury levels are not the cause of the fish deaths in the Oder.

This was the result of the first toxicological test results from samples of dead fish, wrote Poland's Environment Minister Anna Moskwa on Twitter on Saturday.

“The State Veterinary Institute tested seven species.

It has ruled out mercury as a cause of fish deaths.” We are now waiting for the results of tests for other pollutants.

The death of fish in the Oder has been worrying people who live on the river in Poland and Germany for days.

According to government information, Polish authorities had already received the first indications at the end of July that masses of dead fish were floating in the river.

The cause of the fish kill is still unclear.

According to information from Brandenburg's Environment Minister Axel Vogel (Greens), the Oder has "very much increased salt loads".

The term salt loads refers to salts dissolved in the water.

Poland's government suspects that the river was poisoned with chemical waste.

The Polish police have offered a reward of the equivalent of 210,000 euros for the investigation.

Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) travels to the Oder because of the fish kill.

On Saturday evening at 6 p.m. in Frankfurt (Oder), she wanted to speak to emergency services, for example from the fire brigade and technical relief organization, as the ministry announced.

There, helpers had collected many dead fish from the shore.

According to the Federal Environment Ministry, Brandenburg's Environment Minister Axel Vogel (Greens) and Frankfurt's Lord Mayor René Wilke (Left) are also expected to attend the meeting.

According to her department, Lemke had exchanged views with her Polish counterpart on Friday and agreed on a close exchange of information.

Criticism came from Lemke's house on Friday that Poland had not warned in time.

"In fact, we know that this reporting chain, which is intended for such cases, did not work," said a spokesman.

Brandenburg had also openly criticized that they had not been informed by the Polish authorities.

Water samples in preparation

The environmental catastrophe is meanwhile spreading further and further.

The Ministry of the Environment in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania expects the effects of the fish kill in the Oder on the Szczecin Lagoon.

It is to be expected that the loads will already reach the mouth of the Oder near Szczecin (Poland) in the evening, depending on wind and current conditions, the ministry wrote in a statement late on Friday evening.

In the course of Saturday, the Western Pomeranian part of the Szczecin Lagoon could also be affected.

As a precaution, the Ministry of Till Backhaus (SPD) therefore called on residents to refrain from fishing in and taking water from the body of water – regardless of use.

The responsible authorities in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are currently preparing water and fish samples.

The investigations into the clarification of the fish kill are ongoing.

Previous laboratory analyzes did not bring any precise information about the pollution of the water and the causes.

Environmental politicians and conservationists rated the fish kill as an environmental disaster.