The PEI Department of Fisheries and Environment and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada have confirmed that approximately 12 adult Atlantic salmon were recently found dead on the Morell River. At least the same number of live fish were sighted with significant injury. Last week, live and dead fish were collected and taken to both the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Laboratory in Halifax for analysis. Diane Griffin, Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Environment, and Frank Ring, Acting Area Manager with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Charlottetown, today announced that both labs reported negative results and advised that the deaths do not appear to be a fish health issue. "We are relieved that they have ruled out fish health as a cause of the problem," said Ms. Griffin.
The fish, having suffered physical trauma, and subsequent infection, appear concentrated in the Leard's Pond area. Surveys by the PEI Department of Fisheries and Environment, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the Atlantic Salmon Federation indicate that neither young salmon nor trout appear to be affected.
The constructed bypass at Leard's Pond may have caused the abrasions to the fish. Water in this bypass is shallow and fish could be injuring themselves on old rough, eroding concrete as they ascend the river. In the past, the bypass has been blocked to fish passage, directing fish to the nearby fish ladder. As a corrective action, the three organizations have agreed that the bypass be blocked to fish passage and that monitoring will continue. This action is now underway.
For more information, contact Bruce Smith of PEI Fisheries and Environment, (902) 368-6081, or Frank J. Ring, Acting Area Manager of PEI Area Fisheries and Oceans Canada, (902) 566-7810.