Planning a trip to the beach this weekend? If so, you may want to change those plans or, at the very least, pack a clothespin for your nose.
A fish kill ranging from Mentor-on-the-Lake east to Saybrook Township is being studied by the Fairport Fish Station of the Ohio Division of Wildlife. Kevin Kayle, supervisor at the station, says he started receiving calls about the kill early Wednesday morning and had fielded about a half dozen inquiries by mid-afternoon.
Kayle verified the kills at Mentor-on-the-Lake and Saybrook to Arcola Creek. He also collected samples at Mentor and Saybrook and sent them for laboratory analysis.
It will be a couple of weeks before the results are known, but Kayle’s theory is that the kill is weather-related and not the result of pollution.
Kayle says fresh-water drum, also known as sheepshead, and a few small-mouth bass are the primary victims of the event. His theory is that up-welling, that is a churning of the waters caused by strong winds and wave action earlier this week, is responsible.
During a up-welling event the warm waters near shore, where the sheepshead congregate this time of year, are replaced with cold water from deeper in the lake. This water tends to be depleted of oxygen, a situation exacerbated by recent algae blooms and deaths in this cold strata.
“As the algae dies and bacteria decomposes it, it depletes the water of oxygen,” Kayle says. “Of course, the fish need oxygen to live.”
Kayle says fish kills are fairly unusual for this time of year; most occur in spring or winter.
He says one other factor could be VHS, a viral disease of the kidneys and spleen that causes hemorrhaging through the gills.
“Generally we see that in the spring after spawning. It’s not seen in summer,” Kayle says.
As a precautionary measure, Kayle is having samples tested for the virus.
As of Thursday afternoon, the fish had washed ashore at some locations and could be seen bobbing in the murky gray water at other spots. The next few days are likely to be unpleasant along the lakeshore as the fish come ashore and provide a smorgasbord for scavenger birds, animals and bacteria.
In addition to wiping out a lot of fish, the kill could also harm gulls and certain other shore birds if a botulism outbreak occurs in the dead fish. Kayle says botulism thrives in an environment where there is no oxygen, so the possibility is real under these water conditions.
From a public safety standpoint, Kayle recommends staying clear of the washed-up fish and keeping pets away from the beaches until nature has taken its course.
A spokesman at the Ashtabula County Health Department said they had not received any complaints from residents. Fish kill events are investigated by the Division of Wildlife.
No advisories had been issued for beaches in the affected area as of Thursday afternoon, according to the Web site, www.earth911.org/waterquality.
Local News
Fish die from Mentor to Saybrook
Half-dozen inquiries made
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