Hundreds of fish found dead in Linlithgow Loch

The fish that died were roach – native to the lake

Tom Lambert Dozens of silvery dead fish — The fish that died were roach – native to the lake

An investigation has been launched after hundreds of fish were found dead in historic Lake Linlithgow.

Images from the lake show a large number of dead fish in the water next to exhaust pipes from the nearby Kingsfield estate.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said it visited the site on Tuesday following the discovery on Monday evening.

The environmental watchdog is trying to determine whether pollution was the cause of the mass murder.

Linlithgow Loch Fisheries Secretary Tom Lambert told BBC Scotland News he had never seen such a shocking sight.

Although the lake is stocked with rainbow trout, he said it had killed a huge school of roach, which are native to the lake.

Tom Lambert Fish dead in the water — Fish dead at the external management

“Some poisonous substance must have flowed through the pipe because all the young cockroaches hiding near the outflow were killed,” he said.

“A lot of people don’t realize that if they throw things down the drain, it can end up in the lake.”

Some of the fish were also on the grass behind the pipe outlet.

“They tried to escape the toxic substance and ended up on the grass, it’s terrible,” he said.

Mr. Lambert took a boat to the middle of the lake and found even more dead cockroaches.

“I am very sad and disappointed that this has happened,” he said. “This has been happening for many years, it’s not as big a fish kill as this, but nothing seems to be done about it.

“They haven’t rerouted the pipes. They don’t want to spend the money, so it’s just convenient to have them flow directly into the lake.”

Linlithgow Palace, on the banks of Linlithgow Loch, was the birthplace of James V and Mary, Queen of Scots

Getty Images Linlithgow Palace, on the banks of Linlithgow Loch — Linlithgow Palace, on the banks of Linlithgow Loch, was the birthplace of James V and Mary, Queen of Scots

The lake is a place of special interest and a huge tourist attraction.

Located next to the loch, Linlithgow Palace is the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots and James V. It is described as Scotland’s finest surviving late medieval secular building.

Mr Lambert asked Historic Environment Scotland, which owns the area, to send a ranger to remove the fish, but was told by Sepa to leave the fish behind until their investigation was completed.

A spokeswoman for Historic Environment Scotland said: “We continue to work closely with Sepa as they conduct an investigation.

“Our rangers are monitoring any further changes and as a precaution we are advising the public to avoid the area in question while further investigations take place.”

There are now concerns that other wildlife could be poisoned by eating the fish, which were still there on Friday.

A spokeswoman for Sepa said: “We received reports of a number of dead fish found in Linlithgow Loch on November 11 and officers attended the site the following day.

“We continue to work with partners as we investigate the possible causes of the incident.”

A spokesperson for Scottish Water said: “We have found no issues with our infrastructure in the area but will assist Sepa with any investigations carried out.”