Carp Kill

[Zamboni]

Which lakes in the Kawarthas currently have 'floaters' washing to shore? I'm thinking of fishing Stony on Sunday, wife/friends would meet me later for an afternoon of swimming/boating so I want to choose a lake without dead carp.

 

Be useful for everyone if we post different lakes status-I was on Scugog yesterday and as posted in other threads its over with there-not one dead carp seen even in weedy bays.

[Guest mistyriver1]

Great post Zamboni, was wondering the same thing. Heading to Tri-lakes next weekend and was wondering what it was like.

[Dutch]

Dead fish are showing up in all lakes.

 

I have not heard Stoney specifically, but have heard Lovesick, Katchewanooka and the Otonabee, so Stoney has to be effected as well.

 

They are even finding them in Little Lake in downtown P-dot.

 

Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield dump has accepted about 23 tonnes of dead carp since this thing began and are extending hours and opening on days they usually don't open on to accept the overflow.

 

I think the worst is over (IMO).

 

Overall, from what I heard the devestation in the Kawarthas was much worse than Scugog based on the weight of carp going to the dumps, but then again, there's much more water volume around here.

[lazybum]

Here's an article from the Peterborough Examiner dated today. The die-off does not appear to be in Little Lake yet.

 

 

 

City ready for carp crisis

BRENDAN WEDLEY and ANDREA HOUSTON

Local News - Friday, July 27, 2007 @ 00:00

 

There are plans to handle the carp die-off should it spread within the city's jurisdiction along the Otonabee River and Little Lake, city officials say.

 

While the city government is waiting to see if the carp die-off hits Peterborough, it will do what needs to be done should more dead carp start washing up on shores, utility services director Wayne Jackson said.

 

"It will be slightly different, but not much different, than cleaning up the lake," he said.

 

"We're going to be wanting to wear protective gloves and coveralls and boots. And we're going to want to have a protective vessel to put these carps.

 

"We're certainly ready for it.... We're certainly hoping we don't need it."

 

Meanwhile, 18 city lifeguards were given training yesterday on how to handle and dispose of dead carp found on both Beavermead Park and Rogers Cove beaches, said Brent Copeland, a recreationist with the city.

 

"The lifeguards check the entire beach at the start of the shift and monitor the water throughout the day," Copeland said. "We were notified that there was no risk to humans.

"

 

Lifeguards have been instructed not to speak to the media and instead divert all media inquiries to his office, he said.

 

Many of the aquatic staff are teenagers, he said, and are not completely informed on the issue to be able to discuss it with the media.

 

Nicole Black, a staff member with the YMCA children's camp who was at Beavermead beach yesterday morning, said she saw the lifeguards remove a dead carp the day before.

 

"We were just playing on the beach. Some of the kids were poking it," Black said. "The lifeguards got it out of the way.

 

"I think it's fine to swim in the lake."

 

The city has been following the carp-die off since early June when dead carp were found in large numbers in Lake Scugog. The problem spread to Sturgeon, Cameron and Pigeon lakes and Pigeon River last month and into Chemong and Buckhorn lakes this month.

 

More than 10,000 dead carp have been found. Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield Township alone has collected more than 23,000 tonnes of dead carp.

 

The die-off has not spread to Little Lake, the Ministry of Natural Resources states.

 

The Examiner has received at least three reports of dead carp in Little Lake and the ministry has confirmed it received one report.

 

On his way home for lunch yesterday, Mayor Paul Ayotte strolled down to Rogers Cove beach to see for himself if there was any dead carp. "We get lots of tourist who come just to fish for carp, so I hope this doesn't impact the industry too much," Ayotte said, adding he is confident that the city will be prepared if the situation gets any worse.

 

The Peterborough city-county landfill on Bensfort Road was considered as an overfill location for the dead fish when the carp were first found in Lake Scugog, Jackson said.

 

"We have a lot of carp here so we figure what hits Scugog we should at least be aware what's happening and follow it closely," Jackson said.

 

The city would co-operate with the Trent-Severn Waterway to handle any carp die-off, he said.

 

Tests are underway at labs in Guelph and British Columbia to determine the cause of the carp deaths.

 

With 24-hours notice, the landfill would be ready to handle truckloads full of dead fish, said Melanie Kawalec, the city waste management manager.

 

"We dig a hole which is out of the normal tipping area," Kawalec said. "They basically empty the load into the hole and then we cover it up immediately."

 

It's important not to leave the dead fish exposed in the sun and air, she said.

 

"We want to mitigate any of the nuisances. The nuisances could be odour, it could be attracting seagulls to the site," Kawalec said.

 

The dump's normal operating hours and staff should be enough to handle the disposal of dead fish, she said.

 

"We should be able to accommodate the volumes," Kawalec said. "We've got capacity and procedure in place."

 

Earlier this week, the ministry asked residents along Rice Lake and the Trent River to be on the lookout for carp carcasses and to report any to the ministry at 1-800-667-1940.

[Dutch]

MNR is damage controlling (perhaps due to the approaching long weekend?). No one wants to see a bunch of dead carp while pleasure boating through the liftlocks into Little Lake.

 

They are in Little lake, I saw some floaters. Maybe not in huge numbers (I counted 5, probably not natural die-offs), but they are there.

[Rizzo]

collected more than 23,000 tonnes of dead carp

 

do you think maybe they meant to say pounds??? If not, that's a ludicrous amount of carp!

[mikeh]

I fished Rice Lake near Bewdley earlier in the week and the carp were swimming in the shallows as normal, no dead floaters seen. I also went past Cow Island and fished the south shoreline and didn't see any.

[douG]

That would be 23,000 cubic meters of dead fish, or a cube 28 meters (91 ft)on a side, give or take. That can't be true.

 

Even if the carp are large at 22 lbs each, that's about 2 million carp, or twenty for every man, woman and child in Peterborough and Kawartha lakes area. Don't think so.

[Dutch]

Yes I think my number at 23 tonnes is more correct than the story's number of 23,000 tonnes. They don't call it the Peterborough exaggerator for nothing.

 

By the way 23,000 metric tonnes is = 50,706,320 pounds.

 

Twenty-three tonnes = 50,706 pounds which would equal about 2,500 - 5,000 individual fish. Many news outlets are using an average fish size of 20 pounds to do conversions, but I would more likely say the average is about 10-12 pounds.

[Sinker]

Sturgeon lake is all clear. I haven't seen any since the canada day weekend.

[Marko]

This may sound like a stupid question but are there any carp left in those lakes anymore??

Have they all died or only specific size or weight did.

[Rizzo]

Have they all died

 

...one can only hope (man this is gonna get me in trouble with our carpin' friends on this board)

[Crazyhook]

 

have you ever caught one Rizzo?

[OhioFisherman]

Either figure is a lot of dead fish. It seems really strange that it is only carp that seem to be dying. LOL Rizzo, not my favorite species of fish either, but a sign of a problem? Hope it doesn`t spread to other species or waters.