'We're all kind of shocked': Massive fish die-off on the Cowichan River has many concerned
There is a mystery unfolding on the Cowichan River, discovered by people snorkelling last week near Skutz Falls.
“They noticed silver spots all over the bottom of the river,” said Parker Jefferson with he Cowichan Stewardship Roundtable.
Diving to the bottom, the pair discovered that those silver spots were actually a massive fish die-off.
“Hundreds, perhaps thousands of baby trout and salmon,” said Jefferson. “Some of them up to two years old.”
Jefferson says the die-off only happened along a small stretch of the river, and as to why it happened, that’s still unknown.
“We have checked the temperature and we have checked the dissolved oxygen in the river and they are both good,” said Jefferson.
Dozens of dead fish are now with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for toxicology testing. The results of those tests aren’t expected for a few weeks.
“The river is currently running lower than it did 50 years ago,” said Jim Deck, president of the Cowichan Lake and River Stewardship Society.
That group has been sounding the alarm for years as temperatures continue to rise, drying up the Cowichan River throughout the summer months.
The river is fed from Cowichan Lake through a weir.
The group wants to see the old weir, which was built in 1957, rebuilt, raising its height by 70 centimetres.
“To ensure that there’s a volume of water to maintain the aquatic life of the river, down to the estuary,” said Deck.
Seconding that motion is the Cowichan Tribes First Nation. They are calling on the federal and provincial government to act for the long term survival of the river’s salmon population.
With water levels currently low in the river and no substantial rain in the forecast, whatever happened along the river, killing off so many fry, has many concerned.
“There’s a lot of eyes on the river and a lot of people are concerned with what is going on,” said Jefferson. “We’re all kind of shocked by this and we’re hoping to find out exactly what happened by doing the analysis and that’s all we can do.”
“There doesn’t appear to be anything in the river now but maybe something was introduced into this area.”
It’s a mystery that many want answers to, in order to prevent it from happening again in the future.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
opinion Tom Mulcair: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's train wreck of a final act
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader and political analyst Tom Mulcair puts a spotlight on the 'spectacular failure' of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's final act on the political stage.
B.C. mayor gets calls from across Canada about 'crazy' plan to recruit doctors
A British Columbia community's "out-of-the-box" plan to ease its family doctor shortage by hiring physicians as city employees is sparking interest from across Canada, says Colwood Mayor Doug Kobayashi.
'There’s no support': Domestic abuse survivor shares difficulties leaving her relationship
An Edmonton woman who tried to flee an abusive relationship ended up back where she started in part due to a lack of shelter space.
opinion King Charles' Christmas: Who's in and who's out this year?
Christmas 2024 is set to be a Christmas like no other for the Royal Family, says royal commentator Afua Hagan. King Charles III has initiated the most important and significant transformation of royal Christmas celebrations in decades.
Baseball Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson dead at 65, reports say
Rickey Henderson, a Baseball Hall of Famer and Major League Baseball’s all-time stolen bases leader, is dead at 65, according to multiple reports.
Arizona third-grader saves choking friend
An Arizona third-grader is being recognized by his local fire department after saving a friend from choking.
Germans mourn the 5 killed and 200 injured in the apparent attack on a Christmas market
Germans on Saturday mourned the victims of an apparent attack in which authorities say a doctor drove into a busy outdoor Christmas market, killing five people, injuring 200 others and shaking the public’s sense of security at what would otherwise be a time of joy.
Blake Lively accuses 'It Ends With Us' director Justin Baldoni of harassment and smear campaign
Blake Lively has accused her 'It Ends With Us' director and co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of the movie and a subsequent effort to “destroy' her reputation in a legal complaint.
Oysters distributed in B.C., Alberta, Ontario recalled for norovirus contamination
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall due to possible norovirus contamination of certain oysters distributed in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.