TWO founding members of the Bellbrook Fishing Club are adamant antimony mining pollution is responsible for killing fish at the Nulla Nulla Creek.
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James Pritchard and his wife Kelly said they found 14 eel-tailed catfish dead in the water in one spot at Bellbrook.
They said it was not the first time it had happened.
“There’s antimony leeching up there and it’s contaminating the river,” Mr Pritchard said.
"Me and my mate Glen went to the mouth of the Nulla Nulla Creek to fish there on Sunday.
“We were startled to discover there were dead catfish there.
“I counted 14 in one part of the hole at Bellbrook.”
He has a photograph of what he says was a snake tangled in weeds, whose skin was softened in acid water, causing it to bloat.
“It was still alive,” he said.
"That type of thing shouldn’t happen to a snake.
“All the rain coming from Georges Creek, from the tablelands, should’ve flushed out the river.
“There were downpours at Armidale on Christmas Eve and it takes a few weeks to get down here.”
Mrs Pritchard said she had noticed the effects on her husband.
“The last lot of mud that came down stained his feet,” she said.
“They were still stained, even after a shower.”
The couple wants to see action taken to address water quality.
“There should be independent tests done,” Mr Pritchard said.
“A few years back the same thing happened at Lower Creek.
“We’ve been locals for 19 years and this is the first recent sighting of dead fish at Bellbrook.”
And Mrs Pritchard called on the community to get involved.
“We’d like others to come forward and share any information,” she said.