Ministers of the Department of Technology and Environment and the Department of Agriculture and Forestry today announced an action plan to both understand the facts of recent fish kills in several Island streams and identify the steps required to reduce the risk to aquatic life.
Ministers Mitch Murphy and Eric Hammill identified a five-point plan which acknowledges that runoff containing agricultural pesticides was likely the source of the recent fish mortalities.
"Island farmers and our government have both recognized the necessity of establishing sustainable production systems for all agricultural products. The fish kills of last week are completely unacceptable to everyone, so we must find solutions," said Mr. Hammill.
The five-point plan includes:
1. Completing a detailed assessment of the circumstances around each fish kill and identifying common factors and causal agents.
2. Identifying agronomic practices which were successful in preventing watercourse contamination during heavy rainfall events.
3. Identifying and recommending crop protection products with low toxicity to reduce risk to aquatic life.
4. Utilizing the Department of Agriculture & Forestry's geographic information system (GIS) to identify high-risk watersheds and establish specific plans for protection of aquatic life.
5. Establishing a joint Action Committee consisting of industry and provincial and federal government representatives to oversee the work and ensure implementation. The committee includes Scott Howatt and John Phillips, Potato Producers Association; Mette Ching, Federation of Agriculture; Alan Rennie, Soil and Crop Improvement Association; David Thompson, Crop Protection Institute of Canada; Ralph Yeo, Farm Practices Review Board; Christiane DesLaurier, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Peter Johnson, Environment Canada; Gordon Fairchild, Eastern Canada Soil and Water Conservation Centre; Claire Franklin, Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency; and Richard Veinot, Clair Murphy and George Trainor representing the provincial departments of agriculture, environment and transportation respectively.
The Action Committee will be chaired by Dr. Carl Willis, chair of the Province's Pesticides Advisory Committee. He is the former director of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research centre in Charlottetown.
"I am very pleased with the response we have had from industry and government agencies in agreeing to support immediate work on this problem," said Mr. Murphy. "The buffer zone legislation and the Agriculture and Environmental Resource Conservation Program are steps in the right direction, but we need to understand the factors leading to these fish mortalities so we don't miss any necessary step."
Work to implement the Action Plan will begin immediately. The Committee will meet on Friday of this week.