The Port Coquitlam watershed society hypothesizes low rainfall levels allow toxins to build up
A Port Coquitlam salmon hatchery lost at least 2,500 fish last month after it said an unknown pollutant entered its facility through a local creek.
Longtime Hyde Creek Watershed Society volunteer Jean Peachman said one of its members checks in on the facility every day. Two weeks ago, one of those volunteers arrived to find the creek a strange blue color. When they looked into the hatchery troughs, where the creek feeds, they saw hundreds of salmon floating on their bellies with their mouths agape.
“It’s a tremendous loss,” Peachman said.
They pulled 2,300 dead fish from trough tanks and another 200 to 300 from their pond on the first day, and have found dozens more since then.
Peachman said they probably don’t know exactly where the pollutant came from, because Hyde Creek is an urban waterway and can be affected by countless sources.
He hypothesized, however, that the lack of rain leading to the discovery allowed the toxins to accumulate at the bottom of storm drains. When that happens, Peachman said, a quick raindrop can flush all the toxins into the creek and into their hatchery.
“Normally, when we have a lot of rain, the storm drains are pretty clear, and we don’t get such a heavy dose of toxins coming through.”
In a typical season, the Hyde Creek Watershed Society raises about 40,000 chum and coho salmon. So the loss of more than 2,500 fish is quite significant for them.
However, this is unlikely to have an impact on the overall salmon situation in BC. Fisheries and Oceans Canada estimates that its hatcheries and spawning channels release nearly 400 million juvenile salmon into the Pacific Ocean each year.
Environment and Climate Change Canada told Black Press Media it was aware of the loss at the Hyde Creek hatchery, but no immediate source of pollution had been identified. A department spokesperson said they will continue to monitor the situation.
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