The rotting dead fish found in Buhairat Al-Shabab were dumped there by salespeople because no contamination or pollutants were discovered that could have killed them, Jeddah Municipality has said.

The municipality said that it had tested the fish after a video clip emerged on the Internet showing scores of dead, silvery fish floating on the water. The tests found that the fish had already been dead when they were dumped there, the municipality said, according to recent reports.

The municipality said the tests prove that the fish did not die of pollutants but had been rotting because they had not been stored properly. Mohammad Al-Buqami, spokesman for the municipality, said specialized teams of the general directorates of slaughterhouses and public markets, and environmental health jointly conducted the investigation.

They had found that the fish had been dumped there by salespeople. “The municipal teams took samples and conducted thorough tests and examinations. It turned out the fish were already dead and decaying.”

The fish had also been cut open at the stomach, which indicates that they had been dumped there. There were no abnormal spots found on them that indicated a virus or any chemical or sewage discharge, he said.

“Further autopsies were conducted on the livers, kidneys and insides of the fish. There was no bleeding found that suggest poisoning or pollution,” he said.