UPDATED: No definitive answers to cause of dead fish floating in Kootenay Lake
By Lone Sheep Publishing
BC Ministry of Forests staff said in a media statement there are no definitive answers as to why dead fish were turning up in the West Arm of Kootenay Lake in late July of this year.
During July, there were reports from the public that dead fish were seen floating in the waters of Kootenay Lake near Nelson.
Several posts on social media questioned why the fish were seen floating on the surface of the lake or washing up on shorelines north of Nelson and downstream near Taghum.
Ministry staff said samples of the fish mortality in the West Arm of Kootenay lake were sent to the health lab in July.
“The positive news is that there were no pathogenic bacteria or viruses found, however the results leave us without definitive answers as previous tests ruled out potential causes such as water temperature or oxygen deficiencies,” Ministry of Forests staff said in an emailed statement to The Nelson Daily.
Ministry of Forests said no further tests are being conducted at this time, but staff will continue to monitor the situation closely.
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Ministry staff await test results following reports of dead fish washing up on shore of West Arm of Kootenay Lake
Ministry of Forests staff have opened an investigation into the report of dead fish washing up on shore on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake and Kootenay River.
The investigation follows several Social Media posts questioning why the fish are floating on the surface of Kootenay Lake or washing up on shore of beaches on both sides of Nelson.
“If anyone else is noticing a large die off of fish on the west arm of Kootenay lake right now I recommend emailing our MLA & local conservation officers,” the post on Nelson, BC, Facebook group said.
“As a lifelong resident, I’ve seen minor events like this before but not situations where 20-30 fish are washing up on beaches every day.”
Media staff at the Ministry of Forests said in an emailed statement to The Nelson Daily that staff is aware of the fish die off.
“The Ministry has visited the site and is actively investigating fish deaths in the West Arm of Kootenay Lake,” Ministry of Forests said in the emailed statement.
“The exact cause is still being determined and we are waiting on final results for the oxygen, temperature and water chemistry samples.”
The most popular species of fish in Kootenay Lake are Rainbow Trout, Bull Trout and Kokanee.
Ministry of Forests staff did not confirm the species being tested.
Last month the Kootenay Lake Fishery received a boost after the Creston Valley Rod & Gun Club received a $399,000 grant from the Province of BC under the Destination Development Fund to undertake a two-year project to replenish depleted stocks of Kokanee salmon.
The Return of the Kokanee Salmon restocking project entails the collection of surplus Kokanee salmon eggs at three sites over a 30-day period in September, followed by incubation of the eggs at a Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC hatchery for six to eight weeks in October and November.
The eggs will be transported to selected release sites in November.
The Creston Valley Rod & Gun Club is responsible for managing the project, partnering with the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations for technical expertise, and relying on the Lower Kootenay Band for supplying invaluable knowledge of the lake’s fish stocks and health.
Dead fish have been washing up on shore of beaches on Kootenay River south of Nelson near Taghum.
