More tests suggest Lake Erie fish die-off was natural causes, MOE says

The Ontario Ministry of Environment reiterated Friday
that thousands of fish died because of a naturally occurring
lake inversion rather than a spill.
(The Windsor Star-Ministry of Environment Photo)

Samples from the dead fish that littered beaches along Lake Erie Labour Day weekend showed no signs of bacterial infections, botulism or a fish disease called viral hemorrhagic septicemia, Ministry of Environment spokeswoman Kate Jordan said Friday.

“At this time all the information we have suggests the fish were killed due to natural causes,” she said.

The tens of thousands of fish that came up on 40 kilometres of Lake Erie shoreline in Chatham-Kent and Elgin County Sept. 1 seem to have been caught up in water with low oxygen levels. Jordan said strong southwest winds rippled over the lake causing the colder lake bottom water to come up. The bottom of the lake is where the lowest levels of oxygen exist because that’s where plants decompose and use up a lot of the oxygen, she said. So the fish end up gulping for air and suffocating and being pushed to shore either dead or still gulping for air.

“We see it every couple years in Lake Erie,” Jordan said.

Initial field samples and then water test results last week pointed to natural causes and the MOE has repeatedly said there was not a manure spill or any signs of contaminants found in the water.

The Windsor Star - blogwindsorstar.com

14 Sep 2012

S Hill

Location: View location of cases reported in the news on Lake Erie
on the Global Wildlife Disease News Map

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