New South Wales Water Minister Niall Blair says it wasn't irresponsible to announce reports of a fish kill of 1,800 at Lake Hume before a proper investigation revealed only 60 carp were involved.

Key points: Temperatures in NSW are expected to soar over the next few days

Temperatures in NSW are expected to soar over the next few days The NSW Regional Water Minister says that means more fish will be killed in waterways

The NSW Regional Water Minister says that means more fish will be killed in waterways About 60 fish were found dead in Lake Hume

Mr Blair's initial comments this morning came amid the huge clean-up after up to a million fish died at Menindee, in the state's west, due to an algal bloom

When Mr Blair announced the Lake Hume fish kill this morning — which is at 30 per cent capacity and managed by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority — he said the initial report he received was of 1,800 dead fish.

However the NSW Department of Primary Industries since revealed the number was more like 60 — and it could have been the result of fishing mortality.

Albury Mayor Kevin Beck said he made several phone calls after hearing of the Lake Hume report.

He said he spoke to fishermen, tourism operators and water authorities and no one could find any evidence.

"I think maybe he [Niall Blair] has got his wires crossed," he said.

"You would think a state minister would have more than just an idea that something's happened, and you wouldn't do press conferences without that definitive evidence."

Mr Blair stood by his comments and said it was factual to say there had been a report.

"I'm actually quite relieved," he said.

"Fish kills are a big issue right across NSW at the moment.

"We were talking about fish kills and where they've been happening right across the state."

Millions of dead fish continue to rot in the Darling River. ( Facebook: Debbie Newitt )

Mr Blair said it was not irresponsible to rely on unvalidated information.

He said the situation at Menindee was "quite catastrophic", but even reports about the number of fish involved there have been at times hard to validate.

"This is not about trying to pass the buck, this is not about trying to get people to look somewhere else," he said.

"The fact of the matter is we received a report, that was then investigated, and the numbers have been revised down."

The Federal Government has proposed using $5 million of Murray-Darling Basin funding for a native fish recovery strategy following the Menindee fish kill.

The NSW Labor Opposition has called for an independent taskforce, run by scientists, to examine the cause.

'We're doing ... everything we can'

Temperatures in the Menindee region are expected to reach up to 46 degrees Celsius this week as contractors begin work after the algal bloom last week deprived the water of oxygen.

Mr Blair said the NSW Government had purchased 16 aerators to help restore oxygen to waterways, including the Darling River at Menindee, Lake Keepit and Lake Burrendong.

The solar-powered devices will arrive in the next 24 hours from Western Australia and run through the night, but Mr Blair conceded they were a "band-aid solution".

"Nothing will stop this fish kill unless we get proper river flows and water levels in our dams back up to normal, but we're looking at doing everything we can to try and limit the damage," he said this morning.