GREENSTONE, Ont. — The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry says it believes poor water quality caused by abnormally warm weather has contributed to a significant fish die-off in numerous lakes in the Greenstone area.
Local anglers have both seen and smelled the evidence.
One person posted on Facebook that he had counted 216 dead fish in Long Lake in just one hour.
Posted by Mitchyboii Olesko on Thursday, July 9, 2020
"It smells like death and rot out there," Mitchell Olesko wrote.
The MNRF points to unseasonably high surface water temperatures, combined with minimal precipitation for the past month.
Longlac resident Brian Desrochers said he's lived in the area for almost 30 years and has never seen anything like it.
He tallied up dozens of dead fish last week at the juncture of the Kenogami River and Long Lake.
"There was dead walleye all along the riverbanks. It was quite alarming," Desrochers told Tbnewswatch.
The MNRF has received reports of dead walleye, pike, perch, and whitefish at various locations, the largest occurrence being at the Kenogami River's inflow to Long Lake, and the north end of the lake in both the east and west bays.
Other fish die-offs have been reported on Wildgoose Lake, Kenogamisis Lake, Lower Twin Lake and Klotz Lake.
Monitoring gauges installed as part of the Aguasabon River System Water Management Plan have recorded low water levels and surface water temperatures approaching 30 C on multiple consecutive days this month.
MNRF spokesperson Michelle Nowak said warm water contains low dissolved oxygen, a stressor to fish which can lead to die-offs if the condition is prolonged.
"We do not believe that other factors, such as widespread fish disease or chemical spills, contributed" to the recent fish kills, Nowak said in a statement.
Anyone finding a large-scale fish die-off is asked to report it to the MNRF, using the toll-free number 1-800-667-1940.
