Mass fish deaths in north Qld spark probe

Residents have been warned to avoid a creek near a Cairns school while health authorities probe the discovery of hundreds of dead fish.

Director of Tropical Public Health Services Dr Richard Gair says reports children are jumping into Saltwater Creek near Edge Hill State School to catch the dead or dying fish are concerning.

"Until we know what we are dealing with, it is important that people exercise caution and my advice is to avoid contact with Saltwater Creek and fish in Saltwater Creek," he said in a statement.

He says no one should remove or consume the fish.

The discovery of the fish floating in the creek at the weekend sparked an investigation by the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection.

Local farmer Andrew Herrington said the fish deaths may be caused by vehicle run-off washed into the creek during recent rain after a long dry spell in the far north.

"The rubber compounds from the tyres, all the oil that drips off people's dirty old cars and so on, washes off into the creeks so you have that oil-slick type rainbow on top of the water," he told the ABC.