Dead Carp found in Kawartha Lakes

[Dutch]

I was reading the Peterborough Exaggerator, err...Examiner tonight and apparently there are heavy die offs of carp in the aforementioned lakes. The VP of the Bobcaygeon Chamber of Commerce is reccomending hiring 5 teams of 2 people to go out and clean the mess uprather than have residents responsible for clean up of their own shorelines.

 

I guess the issue has been brought up of "who owns the shoreline" and who is responsible for clean-up.

 

Does anyone think this die-off will affect tourism in the Kawathas this Summer? My thinking is that many people have already booked their cottages and are coming regardless. May stop some day or overnight trips though.

[lookinforwalleye]

Those dead carp are Scugog carp us Scugog folks are sending them up your way enjoy!

[Dutch]

Yes, I think the bacteria/virus is making it's way through the chain. Not long and it will be into Buckhorn, Chemong, Lower Buckhorn, Lovesick etc. etc. etc.

 

I will definitely not be going anywhere near downtown once it makes it to the Otonabee an into Little Lake. I can only imagine the carnage and smell.....not good for the Festival of Lights, not good for tourism at all.

[Weeds]

I've been following the carp saga through the other threads. Has the ministry issued any kind of statement yet? I haven't seen any sign of the kill off so far and I'm hoping I never do.

Edited July 4, 2007 by Weeds

[lew]

There was a segment on CFTO news earlier today and it sounds like the MNR figures they'll have some answers on the carp die-off in about 2 weeks.

[Big Cliff]

There has already been a significant decline in the use of the water in the Kawarthas. I know of cottage rentals that have been cancelled. I wouldn't keep a fish out of these waters until I see some official reports that tell me they are safe to eat. In fact, after cleaning up some 20+ dead and smelly carp in the psat week, I really don't even feel like going fishing. Would you like to go water skiing and dodge dead 30 lb fish? Boat traffic this past long weekend was much slower than we have seen in past years. CTV news aired a report last night, their report wasn't very accurate, they stated Sturgeon lake is upstream of Scugog. It may be North of Scugog but I can assure you that the Scugog River flows into Sturgeon Lake.

 

The report answered few questions and did little to highlight the matter and force the powers that be to provide us with some actual facts.

 

Now I'm told it may be a few more weeks before we know what is causing the problem. I'm still waiting!

[Weeds]

It seems hard to believe that they don't already have a good idea of what's going on. Admittedly I know very little biology/science (my knowledge of geography, history, math, french, english and economics are also somewhat limited) but how long can it really take and how many specimens do you have to analyze before you have a reasonable idea of what's up?

[dsn]

I agree with weeds. They have tons of dead fish to analyze all they want and still have no conclusion?

 

Slow I'd say. Or are they getting paid by the hour?

 

dsn

[Roy]

Cliff, do you think we'll ever find out really? The COs don't have fuel for their vehicles, do you think they'll run up and down the shorelines picking up dead carps to send for autopsies? I don't think so. Just thinking out loud here but wouldn't a private 'contractor' be better at getting to the root of the problem? What do y'all think? Can we, as fisherfolks, people who are interested in protecting our waters get it done ourselves? It's not expensive if we all pitch in. We just need someone to ramrod it. Anyone?

 

Hell I'd find the scientists and bodies to do it but I'm not in the right Province so....

[Dutch]

Roy,

I would definately do what I could to pitch in/help out.

[Roy]

Dutch, I KNOW you would as I know a lot of people on our board would.

[dsn]

Heres something interesting to read... "Spring Viremia Virus"

 

Introduction

Spring viremia of carp (SVC) is a viral disease that can cause significant mortality of common carp (Cyprinus carpio). This species is raised as a food fish in many countries and has also been selectively bred for the ornamental fish industry, where it is known as koi. Historically, the disease has been a problem in Europe, the Middle East, and Russia. Recently, SVC has been reported in koi in the United States for the first time. This information sheet is intended to inform veterinarians, biologists, culturists, and hobbyists about SVC.

 

What is Spring Viremia of Carp?

Spring viremia of carp is caused by Rhabdovirus carpio, a bullet-shaped RNA virus. The disease has been reported in common carp (or koi) (Cyprinus carpio), grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis), silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), and Crucian carp (Carassius carassius), a close relative of the goldfish. Recent evidence suggests that common goldfish (C. auratus) are also susceptible.

The disease was initially diagnosed in Yugoslavia (Fijan et al. 1971). Since then, it has been identified in other European countries, Russia, and the Middle East. Mortality has reached 70% in yearling carp from European populations. Adult fish can also be affected but to a lesser degree.

 

Heres the link where I found it...

Spring Viremia Virus Orginated from Yugoslavia

Edited July 4, 2007 by dsn

[dsn]

Look on the bright side. Since we humans can't whipe out the Asain Carp this could the answer to our prayers!! Yeah as much as I love carp fishing I won't want the asain carp around the great lakes.

 

 

dsn

[Weeds]

I don't know if we'll ever find out either but money spent on collecting carp for autopsies is better spent than solely focusing on searching for people to ticket. With hundreds of conservation officers on the payroll, designating 5, 10, or even 20 to addressing a potentially serious threat to our fishery seems like a no-brainer, regardless of the amount of fuel they may have in their tanks.

[ccmtcanada]

Latest article I could find....

 

MNR looking at Pigeon Lake as carp cases spread

No confirmed carp cases yet

 

John Chambers

Local News - Wednesday, July 04, 2007 Updated @ 1:32:52 PM

 

PIGEON LAKE - Phone calls concerning dead carp in Pigeon Lake have been received by the Ministry of Natural Resources Peterborough office, but at this point staff with MNR say they are unable to confirm whether the issue is connected to carp deaths in Lake Scugog, Scugog River, Sturgeon Lake and most recently Cameron Lake.

 

"We have received a couple of calls about carcasses on the lake but they have been fairly old in appearance from what people have described to us," said Dan Taillon, a biologist with MNR's Peterborough office. "So they may have been fish that have come through the channel. We are keeping an eye on it as best we can."

 

Calls concerning dead carp surfacing in Cameron Lake continued to be fielded by MNR earlier this week, but the numbers appear to be relatively few at this point says Taillon.

 

"We got a couple of calls yesterday (Tuesday) from folks saying they saw some fish over the weekend that were sick looking and a handful of carcasses but we haven't had any calls that I am aware of today (Wednesday).

 

Taillon said so far the number of reported carp carcasses on Cameron Lake appear to be between 10 and 20.

 

While the initial numbers appear low, Taillon pointed out carp deaths on Scugog and Sturgeon started much the same way.

 

"They (lake users) are starting to see some fish on Cameron Lake and when Sturgeon Lake started and Lake Scugog started it was a small number at first and kind of snowballed from there, so we are monitoring that quite closely right now.

 

 

MNR is still awaiting initial test results from fish pulled from Lake Scugog nearly three weeks ago. Taillon said they are in a "holding pattern" at the moment with respect to results and not much can be done to speed up the process.

 

"We don't have a lot of control over when the tests results come in," he said. "They are running the tests and it takes them 21 to 42 days to run them. We're like everyone else and waiting for the results to come back in.

 

To date, Taillon said the number of dead carp in the area is being pegged at between 4,000 and 10,000 fish, but it is difficult to guesstimate the numbers.

 

"The initial reports from Lake Scugog were somewhere between 2,000 and 5,000 fish and I think we're safe to say we're looking at similar numbers on Sturgeon Lake.

 

According to Taillon the MNR is relying heavily on lake users to notify the ministry when they see dead fish, adding they are responding as quickly as possible when they receive the information.

 

"We are trying to get some people out on the landscape more than we are to keep us in the loop on what they are seeing," he said. "We're not driving around the lakes looking for dead fish in new areas, but when we get the calls about fish we are getting out as quick as we can.

 

Back on Lake Scugog, MNR officials are reporting things appear back to normal with no recent reports of dead or dying carp.

 

"It sounds like things are as back to normal as they can be on Scugog," Taillon said. "We're not receiving any phone calls, and we're not receiving any reports from Scugog.

 

While the circumstances surrounding the massive carp deaths continues to be a mystery, Taillon said the good news is the problem appears to be confined strictly to carp.

 

"We haven't had any reports of any number of any other species that would indicate this is impacting anything other than carp, but if people see those things in any numbers we're definitely interested in hearing from them,' he said.

 

Unfortunately, the problem appears to "move through the lakes fairly quickly," he added.

 

After collecting nearly 10 tonnes of bagged carp during a special weekend curb side pick-up July 4 and 5 in Kawartha Lakes, City officials have decided to have another special pick-up this weekend around Sturgeon and Cameron Lakes.

 

Taillon said when handling the dead carp, people should exercise basic common sense.

 

"Handle the fish wearing gloves, wash your hands when you're done, wash your tools - if you're using a shovel to move the fish - just common sense stuff for now, and when we get the results back we'll know better as to what additional steps people should be taking," he said.

 

Without a known cause, ministry officials say they won't speculate on how they will address the issue moving forward, but according to Taillon, the news isn't as bad as it could be.

 

"From an ecosystem perspective there won't be (much impact) because there will still be some live fish in the lakes and the lakes, I think, will be fairly quick to recover - they are good productive lakes," he said. "There are people who do value carp as a sport fishery so there will be an impact there but the good news is that we had a very, very strong population to begin with.

 

"And obviously there is the social aspects for people having to deal with fish on their properties."

 

Residents and cottagers on Sturgeon and Cameron Lakes who want to have the City pick up any carp that have washed up on shores in the area are asked to double bag the dead fish and have them at the curbside by 7 a.m. both days. Bags cannot exceed 40 pounds in weight.

 

http://www.thepost.ca/webapp/sitepages/con...sif=News%20Live

[pigeonfisher]

City to offer carp curbside pick up again this weekend

Curbside pick-up costing $18,000 to $20,000: City

 

John Chambers

Local News - Wednesday, July 04, 2007 Updated @ 12:11:59 PM

 

KAWARTHA LAKES - On the heels of news the mass killing of carp in area lakes has spread to Cameron Lake, City officials have arranged to have a second weekend of special curbside pick-up Saturday and Sunday, July 7 and 8.

 

Over the July 1 long weekend, crews collected nearly 10 tonnes of dead carp, bringing the total carp collected and disposed of in local landfill sites to between 15 and 17 tonnes.

 

Bill Pickard, manager of solid waste for the City said the decision was made to expand the weekend curbside pick-up after more dead carp began turning up in Cameron Lake.

 

 

 

 

 

"We're going to be doing Sturgeon and Cameron this weekend," he said. "It appears as if Scugog has run its course, but we're starting to see some incidents of dead carp in Cameron and we suspect it may get worse by the weekend so we're going to add it to our collection area."

 

On Saturday the dead carp will be transported to the landfill in Lindsay, while Sunday's collection will be transported to the Fenelon landfill.

 

So far the City's curbside pick up has cost between $18,000 and $20,000, including anticipated costs for the upcoming weekend.

 

For anyone wishing to take advantage of the curbside carp pick up around Sturgeon or Cameron Lakes this weekend, the fish must be double bagged, and each double bag can weigh no more than 40 lbs. All bags to be picked up must also be at the curb by 7 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

 

Pickard didn't rule out future curbside pick up on weekends, noting that staff will continue to monitor the situation on a week to week basis.

 

"We'll make that decision as the issue progresses, so if it stops that'll be the end of it, and we'll make our judgement on how events change week to week."

[Dutch]

There were a total of 4 different articles in the local paper tonight on this. One fella who lives on Little Bob channel, north-west end of Pigeon lake between Sturgeon and pigeon did an informal count around this small bay and counted close to 100 dead carp. I hardly suspect that those came through the channel.

 

I assume the hold-up is not the goverment dragging their feet, but having to wait until whatever this bacteria or virus is, grows and multiples in some petri dish somewhere.

[bigfish1965]

Dutch is quite right. Culturing a virus or bacteria can take time. This way they can figure out which one it is. VHS or the prior mentioned carp virus would seem most likely.

Hopefully we get some cool weather to slow down the problem and the stench.

[fliptheslop]

Has there been any mentionif any other lakes are seeing this in other parts on ONT. such as near ottawa, as it seems to be happeningin the ST Lawance?