Source: hisz.rsoe.hu, 3/01/13
RSOE EDIS - Event Report
| Description | |
| Hundreds of dead gizzard shad are shown washed up on the beach at Leo's Landing at Presque Isle State Park on Feb. 27. The annual fish kill is a natural occurring event in Presque Isle Bay, but this year it's larger than normal, with up to a million dead fish, according to an Erie biologist. If you have seen thousands of dead fish washed up across the shorelines of Presque Isle Bay, you're not alone. Biologists and other officials with the Department of Environmental Protection began spotting the gizzard shad about two weeks ago. The fish kill is a natural occurrence, and is unrelated to pollution, officials with DEP's northwest regional office said. "We're talking about upward of a million fish," said Jim Grazio, DEP's Great Lakes biologist in Erie. Grazio called the fish kill a "very heavy die-off" that officials haven't seen locally in 10 to 15 years. "The die-off is ongoing. It's not done," the biologist added. "You can see fish struggling at the surface of the water." Gizzard shad, especially young ones, are particularly sensitive to cold temperatures. "They likely began dying under the ice several weeks ago," said Gary Clark, a DEP community relations coordinator based in Meadville. "Warmer temperatures melted the ice and exposed them." Grazio said he doesn't know why our region is seeing such a heavy die-off of gizzard shad this year. "Presque Isle Bay provides a warm refuge from the cold temperatures of Lake Erie," he added. "Maybe the fish simply congregated in the bay in greater numbers than in years past." Grazio said on Wednesday there was a "dramatic accumulation" of thousands of dead fish on the shorelines near Presque Isle State Park's Vista 1 parking lot. Clark said the gizzard shad have also been spotted on the lakeside and bayside around Marina Lake, Misery Bay and Horseshoe Pond. "It's nothing to worry about. We'll continue to monitor it," Clark added. "But if you see them, don't handle dead or dying fish. If you're out there walking your dog, I wouldn't let them get near the fish." DEP officials said there will be no large cleanup of the small herrings. "They will rot and recycle into the environment," Grazio said. "It's a nuisance in terms of people who go out there should expect a stinky spring." Clark on Thursday said the DEP "does not expect a secondary fish kill to occur in the main body of Presque Isle Bay." | |
| Biohazard name: | Mass. Die-off (fishes ) |
| Biohazard level: | 0/4 --- |
| Biohazard desc.: | This does not included biological hazard category. |
| Symptoms: | |
| Status: | confirmed |
