Here's why hundreds of dead fish are washing up at Echo Lake
Dead fish have been washing up on shore at Echo Lake, and other lakes in the Qu’Appelle Valley.
Residents told CTV News dead carp began to appear on the shore roughly two weeks ago, but has become a bigger problem in recent days.
“Depending on who you talk to almost everyone has pulled out at least a couple dozen from their property,” Steve Sunquist, B-Say-Tah cottage owner, said.
Sunquist said he has pulled carp, some as long as three feet, off his property.
Experts believe the significant number of fish washing up on local shores can be attributed to higher than normal temperatures.
“Water gets warmer and it holds less oxygen so there is less for the fish to breathe,” Peter Leavitt, Canada research chair at the University of Regina said. “As it gets warmer, fish respiration, how they process their energy also goes up. So not only do the fish have less oxygen, but they need more so that’s where they get into a pinch in the warm water.”
A provincial biologist said the sight of dead carp on shorelines is an annual occurrence, a shocking one – given carp can survive on little to no oxygen.
“The situation in the southern lakes is going to get worse,” Gord Sedgewick, fisheries biologist for the Ministry of Environment, said.
“We’re going to have more areas of warm water and less areas of deep cold water. I think we are going to see some adverse effects especially on the Qu’Appelle lakes in the future.”
Some say the smell is the worst part, with dead fish, algae and increased temperatures culminating in an unpleasant odor. Despite this, Sedgewick said he does not see any concern with eating fresh fish from the lakes.
“Make sure your septic tanks don’t leak into the water,” he said. “Anything we can do to reduce the nutrient load in these systems is a good thing. If we have more heat, we won’t be able to do much about it.”
The province said it will not handle cleanup of the fish around the Qu’Appelle Valley. Cottage owners, and in some areas park staff, will be in charge of cleaning up the fish.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.