2007
FISH DEATHS
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Sugar spill blamed for river fish deaths - link doesn't work Bangkok Post, Thailand - This led to a sharp drop in oxygen levels along a 12km stretch of the river to the point that fish and other aquatic animals could not survive, he said.
AMOROUS toads have caused the deaths of scores of fish at a lake ...
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Ebola-like virus to hit Lake Erie fish again - link doesn't work |
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Fish kill again observed in river
Public asked to report deaths in north, south forks of
Shenandoah
Friday, Apr 27, 2007 -
12:10 AM Updated:
12:29 AM
By REX SPRINGSTON
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
A mysterious affliction is killing fish once again in the
Shenandoah River region.
Anglers and state scientists are reporting hundreds of dead and sick fish in the Shenandoah River and its north and south forks. The fish apparently began dying last weekend. "We're seeing dead and dying fish on numerous locations on those rivers," said Bill Hayden, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Quality. The DEQ yesterday asked the public to report fish deaths so scientists can document the affected area and collect specimens to study. "We want to get on top of this as quickly as we can," Hayden said. The deaths have become a grim spring ritual since they began in 2003. No one knows what's killing the fish. A task force, including state and federal agencies, universities and community groups, is investigating. The task force was established in July 2005 after most adult smallmouth bass and redbreast sunfish died in the Shenandoah and its south fork. Those two species have suffered the most. In October, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine made up to $150,000 available to step up the investigation. The fish deaths have hurt the tourism and recreation industries in the Shenandoah Valley, state officials say. The north and south forks of the Shenandoah flow generally north through the Valley, joining at Front Royal to form the Shenandoah about 120 miles northwest of Richmond. From there, the Shenandoah runs north to Harpers Ferry, W.Va., where it joins the Potomac River. The dead and dying fish are typically afflicted with sores. Something apparently is reducing the resistance of the fish to illness, but no one knows why that is happening, Hayden said. Scientists will check some of the recently killed fish for parasites, viruses and other problems.
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5-4-07 The Department of Environment has released its findings into the
Crooked Tree fish kill. According to the report, dissolved oxygen levels
were really low in Black Creek where it enters into the lagoon, south of
the causeway, and in the northern section of the lagoon. Today News Five
spoke with Advocacy Manager at Audubon, Tanya Williams Thompson, who said
that the findings confirmed what they have been assuming all along.
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Salmon farms and sea lionsTimes ColonistPublished: Wednesday, May 02, 2007Salmon farmers can't allow their nets to kill large numbers of sea lions and other marine mammals without risking a public backlash that will add to the industry's problems. The discovery of 51 dead sea lions, drowned after they became trapped in a fish farm's nets in Clayoquot Sound, has highlighted the issue. Grisly images of dolphins and porpoises that died in the same way added to concern. Aquaculture, including salmon farming, can be an important industry for B.C., providing badly needed jobs in coastal communities. The evidence suggests that the industry can operate safely if it is diligent in making environmental protection a priority. But issues like the threat to wild salmon posed by sea lice in fish farms and the increasing deaths of sea mammals in farm nets undermine needed public support. The mass death of sea lions is unusual. But the same fish farm has been responsible for another 59 sea lion deaths since Jan. 1. Its nets claimed 46 sea lions last year. And the Department of Fisheries and Oceans can't say how many mammals, including dolphins and porpoises, died at other fish farms, despite a requirement that aquaculture companies report all such deaths. The deaths come as sea lion populations appear to be increasing off the Island's west coast, perhaps because of warming ocean waters. That means sea lions face more competition for food and develop an increased interest in the thousands of salmon in fish farm pens -- and more deaths. The 51 sea lions apparently became trapped between the predator netting that is supposed to keep them out of the entire fish farm area and the netting used for the fish pens. It's a grim way for any creature to die. There's no sure way to prevent wildlife deaths linked to any human activity. Highways take their toll on wildlife too. But the public demands, rightly, that every effort be taken to avoid such deaths. If industry doesn't deal with this problem it can expect more demands for a move to closed-containment tanks instead of net pens. A legislative committee on the future of the industry, due to report sometime this month, has been urged to require that kind of system. Salmon farmers maintain closed containment is too costly and they would be unable to compete with foreign operators. But unless the industry moves decisively to respond to issues like the sea lion deaths with effective solutions, it can expect to face increasing public pressure and a clouded future. © Times Colonist (Victoria) 2007
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Dolphin deaths puzzle aquariumPublished May 2, 2007 Two recent dolphin deaths at a Fort Walton Beach aquarium have officials looking for answers. Daphne, a female pantropical spotted dolphin, died at Florida's Gulfarium on April 22. Buster, an Atlantic spotted dolphin, died two days later. Tissue samples from both animals are being analyzed, and the staff has stopped feeding animals fish that both animals were eating until testing can be completed. Buster came to the Gulfarium after he was stranded near Clearwater Beach 18 months ago. [Last modified May 2, 2007, 06:52:36] |
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Set nets cause 70% of Hector’s dolphin deaths The figures clearly indicate that a national set net ban is urgently needed to protect these endangered marine mammals, Forest & Bird conservation advocate Kirstie Knowlessays. Figures from the Department of Conservation’s national mortality database show that where the cause of death of Hector’s dolphins was known, more than 70% of deaths were attributable to set nets. Other human-induced threats, including trawling, craypots and boat strike, each accounted for less than 10% of known deaths, the figures show. “The figures clearly show that set nets pose a serious threat as the number one killer of Hector’s dolphins. Current restrictions are not enough to halt the death toll. The only realistic solution to protect the dolphins is a nationwide ban on set nets, which would dramatically reduce the number of deaths,” Kirstie Knowlessays. Once common in New Zealandcoastal waters, Hector’s dolphins have declined in number from about 26,000 in the 1970s (when set netting began) to about 7000 now, and are listed by the World Conservation Union as endangered. Only an estimated 111 individuals remain of the North Islandsub-species, Maui’s dolphin, which is critically endangered. Set nets are widely used by both commercial and recreational fishers, but virtually every fish species targeted by fishers can be caught by alternative methods. Set nets are banned or tightly controlled in many countries and states, including many states of the USA, the UKand Australia. Cause of death of Hectors’s dolphins (source: DOC
national mortality database) |
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Manatee Deaths Linked to Red Tide Residue 4-23-07  FORT MYERS, FL (AP) -- Scientists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission say red tide-tainted sea grass has been linked to the deaths of 27 manatees whose bodies were found in Lee County waters in late March and early April. It is unusual for such a large number of animals to die when red tide is not present in the water. Scientists say new research shows that deadly red tide toxins can linger on sea grass for weeks after the deadly algae fades from surrounding waters. They think the threatened sea cows ate the contaminated grass while leaving the Caloosahatchee River, a refuge where the manatees shelter from cold winter waters. Necropsies showed the animals died quickly. Red tide is caused by a bloom of the single-celled alga Karenia brevis, which contains a powerful toxin that kills fish and other marine life. Created: 4/23/2007 8:03:42 AM © 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Marine deaths linked to toxin
Algae bloom that sickens birds and mammals
is 'especially virulent' this spring.
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Officials: Crooked Tree fish kill
caused by low oxygen levels
April 18, 2007
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| On last night's newscast we heard
from concerned villagers of Crooked Tree who, at
a loss to explain the sudden mass death of fish
in the waters surrounding their community,
pointed to the work of a U.S. scientist using an
electric stunning device to collect fish samples
for his research. This morning a delegation of
government officials visited the village and
News 5's Kendra Griffith was there to meet them. Kendra Griffith, Reporting Today members of the Fisheries Department, Department of Environment, BAHA, and Audubon were in Crooked Tree to continue the investigation into the fish kill. Aldo Cansino, Environmental Officer, D.O.E. “What we’re doing at the moment is we’re getting various readings of the water, water quality testing. The primary parameters that we are testing at the moment are of course the dissolved oxygen, PH, TDS, temperature.” This morning the men were out at Spanish Creek and this afternoon they visited Black Creek, where the largest concentration of dead tilapia was seen. Aldo Cansino “What we notice is that from the lagoon here, as we move to Spanish Creek the dissolve oxygen levels drop. The causes, we are still speculating. It could be a variety of things. Algal growth could be one, but it’s very preliminary at the moment. What we are trying to do right now is establish what could be the possible causes and of course D.O. is usually the prime culprit.” “Algal bloom is one of the probable causes why the D.O. would drop, algal bloom, there are some correlations with temperature. As you are aware last week we had some peak in temperatures and so that could be one cause and not necessarily the level or height of the water.” Rigoberto Quintana, Assister Fisheries Officer, Fisheries Dept. “This is a complex ecosystem that we have in the Crooked tree Lagoon. You have a lot of vegetation that was covered with water and now I think a lot of organic material is decomposing, so that might be a possible cause of the low oxygen levels in the water.” And while there are many factors that can contribute to the low oxygen levels and the resulting fish deaths, what the experts think is an unlikely factor is a piece of equipment called an electrofisher, which was used by researcher Peter Esselman in the waters of the lagoon. Rigoberto Quintana “The electrofisher is just a device equipped in a boat with a certain voltage that is regulated in the boat so that would just paralyze the fish for a while and then they would collect the fish but that won’t kill the fish. Just paralyze them and you sample them with the net, bring them into the boat and then you do whatever you have to do, if you need to weigh them and measure them and then release them back into the lagoon.” Tanya Williams Thompson, Advocacy Manager, Belize Audubon Society “When we were approached about this project Audubon did have some concerns. It is a relatively new technology in terms of Belize. However, we did our research and we felt comfortable that there would be no negative impacts from the research.” “The reason why we provided approval for this research is that there have been past fish kills in the Crooked Tree Lagoon and we really need to find out what is the reason behind these fish kills as well as we wanted to see what was the fish ecology within the lagoon.” Esselman was granted a research licence by the Fisheries Dept. to conduct studies on the distribution of tilapia in Belize and ecosystem and vegetation mapping. Rigoberto Quintana is the Assistant Fisheries Officer at the Fisheries Department. Rigoberto Quintana “Last year once we issued the research license we would go there to verify what we be the possible impacts of the electrofishing equipment. We were in White Waters Lagoon and the impacts were minimal. Apparently he has done a lot of sites in Belize. This I think is the last site that he was doing in this area and I think by coincidence that the fish start to die out in Spanish Creek and he was doing the surveys in this area in the lagoon.” Kendra Griffith “So you think there is no correlation between the two incidents?” Rigoberto Quintana “I don’t think so, no.” Rudolph Crawford, Outgoing Chairman, Crooked Tree “I couldn’t look at it now as a coincidence like what was said in a meeting we had here couple days ago, because the fish didn’t die before the research started and no more fish die after he finished.” Not only is outgoing village chairman Rudolph Crawford not buying the safety of the electrofisher, he says the council and residents had no idea that research was going to be conducted in the village waters. Rudolph Crawford “They did not respect the community; I must say that, and the village council, because if in fact they were going to do a research they should come and see the village council or the village council chair, who I was at the time. I was passing one day and I saw a boat out in the lake and it was drifting kind of slow so I asked somebody, what that boat doing out deh and they said we understand some people are doing a survey on the water.” Tanya Williams Thompson “Part of the process of doing research in any protected areas is to inform the community. If that was not done, that is our fault. As far as I know that was done in this case. I don’t know if everybody knew about it, but normally that is the procedure we go through.” Kendra Griffith “Do you have anything to say regarding the allegations that employees there at Crooked Tree took advantage of the machines ability to catch fish and were selling them in Orange Walk.?” Tanya Williams Thompson “That is a concern for us. It is really an accusation that harms our image, our public image and so we do have to investigate it. However, I must point out that the concern came from the fact that there was an icebox on the boat. The icebox does not hold ice; it holds water, so that when the fish is taken from the water they can put it back into fresh water and so the fish doesn’t die. It does not hold ice and I think that’s where the concern about selling fish came from.” Audubon Advocacy Manager Tanya Williams Thompson maintains that the N.G.O. is committed to a community-based approach to conservation. Tanya Williams Thompson “We must state categorically that B.A.S. sees that community, the Belizean public on a whole, as our most important stakeholders; no way would we try to do anything that would cause a negative impact to them.” Kendra Griffith reporting for News Five. There have also been reports of fish deaths in Maskall and the government officials say they will be looking into that incident as well. |
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Manatees' Status May Change Wildlife Service Considers Removing 'Endangered' Designation
By Peter Whoriskey MIAMI -- The Florida manatee, this state's imperiled environmental icon, in 2006 suffered its most dismal year on record. Of a population of about 3,200, 416 died in 2006, the highest number of deaths recorded in 30 years of statistics. Many died in collisions with boat propellers. Now, according to an internal memo, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been drafting plans under which the celebrated marine mammals would lose their protection as an endangered species. The planned reclassification of the slow-moving sea cows from "endangered" to "threatened" is expected to elicit criticism from environmental groups that see it as part of the Bush administration's effort to poke holes in the Endangered Species Act. The new designation would make it easier to loosen boating speed limits and restrictions on waterfront development that have been instituted to make Florida safer for the species, environmental leaders said. "This is absolutely the wrong time to down-list manatees," said Patrick Rose, executive director of the Save the Manatee Club and an aquatic biologist who served as the first federal manatee coordinator. "The terrible thing is, while the last year for manatees was bad, the future could be even worse." According to the memo sent from Fish and Wildlife to the White House, the agency was going to say that the manatee "no longer meets the definition of an endangered species." "In Florida, manatees are exhibiting positive growth rates and high adult survival rates along the entire east coast and in the northwest region," the memo said. "There is still uncertainty about the status of manatees in the southwest region of the state." The agency had reached those conclusions after completing a "Five-Year Review" of manatees. But an agency spokesman, while confirming that the recommendation in the memo, dated March 26, reflected the agency's thinking at the time, said it is possible it might be altered by the time the review is released this month. "Until it gets final signatures on it, it could change," said Chuck Underwood, a spokesman with the agency's Jacksonville office. "It is an internal document. . . . Is it the way we were going at the time? Yes. Is it also possible it could change? Yes." He declined to comment further until the review is released. Environmental groups are already critical of the move. "We've entered the witching hour of the Bush administration, where there are going to be frantic lame-duck attempts to do under the table what they cannot pass through Congress," said Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, an environmental group, which obtained the memo. Florida manatees and their legal protections have been the subject of a years-long battle pitting environmentalists against some Florida developers and boating groups. The animals enter other states during the summer, but nearly all winter in Florida. By all accounts, the Florida manatee population has increased since the 1970s. Boating speed limits, or no-wake zones, are believed to have reduced collisions. At the same time, development restrictions helped limit construction in manatee habitats. But the species continues to face threats from increased boat traffic, red-tide outbreaks and waterfront development. The planned closure of some coastal power plants, which have become an artificial refuge because they release warm water that hundreds of manatees have come to rely on in winter months, is also considered potentially catastrophic. Boating groups and developers have lobbied to ease some rules meant to protect the animals, arguing that the manatee population has stabilized and is big enough. A letter from lobbyist Wade Hopping put it this way: "I would hope that instead of using the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act as devices to limit the growth of boating in Florida that we would focus on a plan that would calculate with scientific certainty how many manatees Florida waters can support and proceed to develop a system to ensure that that number of healthy manatees share the waters of the state with Florida's responsible boaters." Developers and boating groups recorded a major victory last year, when Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved dropping "endangered" in favor of "threatened." All seven commissioners were appointed by then-Gov. Jeb Bush (R). The coming dispute over the manatees will revolve around the size and stability of the current population. A 2006 Florida Fish and Wildlife study, used by the state panel that recommended the reclassification, predicted that the population could drop about 30 percent over the next three generations. "There are many people working in field for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who would agree this is not the time to down-list the species," Rose said. "My hope is that the administration will listen. |
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Drain wetlands to save towns
EIGHT wetlands face being drained to free up
water along the Murray-Darling as John Howard
warns that Australia may have to import more
food to cope with the historic drying of the
basin.
A report released yesterday by the Prime Minister warns the drastic action on wetlands could be needed, while it says the river system faces further environmental problems such as rising salinity, the death of native fish species and the return of algal blooms as a result of the drought.
The mining industry will also be hurt by a ban from
July 1 on water allocations from the basin for anything
other than domestic use. The Minerals Council chief
executive, Mitch Hooke, said there were more than 40 mines
along the basin. They were not asking for special
exemptions on water use but should be entitled to the same
financial assistance that will be offered to irrigators,
he said.
Mr Howard said the rising cost of food or the inability of farmers to produce it could result in more imports. "Now we hope that doesn't happen, because we always like to see ourselves as being capable of meeting our own food needs and in fact providing for the food needs of others." The Nationals leader, Mark Vaile, told the Herald that quarantine rules would not be softened, no matter how scarce or expensive fresh food may become. While he said prices may not rise until later this year, he warned against price gouging by retailers and said the Government would ask the competition watchdog to keep an eye out for any collusion. Mr Howard used the dire state of the Murray-Darling to pressure Victoria to sign his $10 billion water package. "This is Australian water, it's an Australian problem and it's got to be solved at a national level and that can only happen if our plan is adopted," he said. "Without Victoria it won't work and if Victoria doesn't join, Victoria is holding up a national solution to our most critical conservation issue". All water use from the Murray-Darling other than for domestic needs will be banned from July 1 and there will not be enough water for environmental flows or allocations to irrigation. The report recommends further battle plans to make sure towns do not run out of drinking water. These include the suspension of the usual water-sharing deals between the states and examining whether Snowy Hydro Ltd could release water from the Snowy River to help the Murray-Darling. Activists in northern NSW called for the closure of the Lake Cowal goldmine near West Wyalong. It is licensed by the NSW Government to draw 17 million litres of water a day from the Lachlan River, part of the basin.
"The Lake Cowal goldmine should stop because not only
is it is taking water from precious food resources, but
that water is turned into toxic cyanide," d Al Olshack of
the Indigenous Justice Advocacy Network said.
Among measures ministers will have to consider are reducing the water sent into Lake Victoria and what the report calls the "disconnection of certain wetlands". Eight wetland sites in NSW and South Australia have been identified for a reduction in the water quarantined for them, but the Government would not name them yesterday. The report was cautious, noting that "while disconnecting wetlands may deliver environmental benefits, environmental managers need to strike a balance between avoiding drying out those wetlands where long-term damage may occur, and focusing on sites where long-term benefits can be gained". The Government will have to assess the potential damage under its environmental laws before it proceeds with this action. The report warns less water in the river system could lead to native fish deaths if there is rising salinity and a possible return of the algal blooms that plagued the river system several years ago. The Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd, said the crisis proved the need for greater action on global warming. "It's not the Howard Government's fault in itself. I mean, Mr Howard can't make it rain. I understand that … But for half a decade or more the Government has been in a state of denial on climate change and water." But the report was ambiguous about the link between the drought and climate change. "Australia has a variable climate and it is
difficult to separate normal climate variability events
from climate change trends," it said. "There have been
similar dry periods in the past, for example the
Federation drought which began in 1895 and ended in 1903.
The current dry period could be consistent with
predictions of climate change."
"The Lake Cowal goldmine should stop because not only
is it is taking water from precious food resources, but
that water is turned into toxic cyanide," d Al Olshack of
the Indigenous Justice Advocacy Network said.
Among measures ministers will have to consider are reducing the water sent into Lake Victoria and what the report calls the "disconnection of certain wetlands". Eight wetland sites in NSW and South Australia have been identified for a reduction in the water quarantined for them, but the Government would not name them yesterday. The report was cautious, noting that "while disconnecting wetlands may deliver environmental benefits, environmental managers need to strike a balance between avoiding drying out those wetlands where long-term damage may occur, and focusing on sites where long-term benefits can be gained". The Government will have to assess the potential damage under its environmental laws before it proceeds with this action. The report warns less water in the river system could lead to native fish deaths if there is rising salinity and a possible return of the algal blooms that plagued the river system several years ago. The Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd, said the crisis proved the need for greater action on global warming. "It's not the Howard Government's fault in itself. I mean, Mr Howard can't make it rain. I understand that … But for half a decade or more the Government has been in a state of denial on climate change and water." But the report was ambiguous about the link between the drought and climate change. "Australia has a variable climate and it is difficult to separate normal climate variability events from climate change trends," it said. "There have been similar dry periods in the past, for example the Federation drought which began in 1895 and ended in 1903. The current dry period could be consistent with predictions of climate change."
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