Powell said that sights like this were not uncommon last weekend.
Over last weekend, thousands of dead fish washed up on the banks of the Ausable River.
A group of local research students doing conservation studies in the Old Ausable Channel and L Lake have found themselves at the centre of the crisis – Jennifer Powell is a PHD Student at University of Toronto Scarborough, she says she went to investigate the Port Franks Marina herself,
She says they’ve travelled up river to try and track how far the damage has gone – and it was far reaching.
The damage isn’t limited to one species, Powell says they’ve spotted lots of large walleye, channel catfish, redhorse and some smallmouth bass.
High temperatures and heavy rain have created a perfect storm,
She says that declining oxygen levels, pollutants, and heat have created a “toxic soup”.
Powell says that in fifteen years working in fisheries, she’s never seen a die off event this large,
She says that there are small things that property owners can and should be doing to protect the waters that border their properties,
The group of research students has been trying to gather information so that they can give that over to the ABCA as well as the Ministry of the Environment,
Powell caught up with myFM from the surface of the Old Ausable Channel
If you have been seeing a wave of dead fish in your area, you can reach out to Powell and her team on Facebook – they’re Lambton Shores Endangered Fish Adventure.
She says it would be particularly helpful if anyone in the Exeter area has seen anything concerning, as right now they’re trying to assess how far the damage has spread.
You can read more about Powell and her co-workers research project here.
Written by: B. Shakyaver
