Noticeable numbers of fish are dying off at Buffalo Pound Lake.
But while the cause of the die-off is yet to be determined, Canadian Co-operative Wildlife Health Centre (CCWHC) regional director Trent Bollinger told the Times-Herald humans and their pets should not be in danger due to the ongoing situation.
“It’s not a threat to people,” he said on Tuesday. “This is a fish issue.”
Most heavily impacted seems to be yellow perch, which Bollinger said are washing up along the shoreline of the local lake. This is the second year in a row the local lake has experienced a fish die-off event, and researchers are taking samples, testing, and trying to diagnose the cause.
“It looks like there’s a couple of different things,” Bollinger said, adding the likely culprit is a bacterial organism causing Columnaris Disease.
“This is a bacterial disease that impacts a range of fish species.”
Sampled fish at the lake have lesions, and cultured samples suggest Columnaris is the likely cause of death.
For more on this story, read an upcoming edition of the Times-Herald.
