Category: fish kill

>
The state Department of the Environment says it’s investigating a small fish kill discovered earlier this week at Deep Creek Lake, the popular western Maryland mountain resort area which experienced a large and prolonged fish die-off during last year’s blistering summer.

A fishing guide reported spotting about 50 dead fish Monday or Tuesday, and a state fisheries biologist checking it out found “scattered fish, in low density” at various points around the lake, according to Jay Apperson, an MDE spokesman. Most were bluegills, and all appeared to have been dead for several days, with no signs of fresh deaths, he wrote in an email.

About 2,000 walleye and other mostly deep-water fish went belly-up from July into September last year, an unusually large and prolonged die-off that state investigators concluded resulted from a combination of heat stress and bacterial infection that can kill fish when they’re stressed. Adding to the stress was the shrinkage of the zone of water in the lake with enough oxygen for fish to breathe comfortably – also likely a result of high water temperatures.

Read more here.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.

Support the Republican Newspaper! It’s only $9.95/year for the online edition!

Aug. 5, 2010

The Maryland Department of the Environment and the Department of Natural Resources continue to investigate a large fish kill that occurred two weeks ago in Deep Creek Lake, Garrett County. In consultation with the Garrett County Health Department, MDE and DNR are providing additional information regarding necessary public health precautions.
Visitors and residents are advised to avoid touching, eating, or otherwise coming into proximity to any dead fish or fish with outward signs of stress or disease. Extra precautions should be taken for those with open wounds. Dogs, and other pets should be restricted from coming in contact with dead or dying fish. The best method to dispose of the fish is by burying them.

Analysis of samples collected by the Garrett County Health Department at 21 different sampling points around the lake the week of July 18 indicated low levels of E.coli bacteria at all locations. Swimming in Deep Creek Lake does not pose any additional public health risk at this time, although dead fish floating in the water should be avoided if possible.

The bacteria thought to be responsible for the fish kill has been identified as Aeromonas species, which has been known to cause other fish kills in Maryland. State health officials note that while this organism can cause infections through skin wounds, it has not been commonly associated with outbreaks in swimming areas. Therefore, no specific advisories are being issued regarding recreational water contact at Deep Creek Lake, except those related to direct contact with fish as described above.

The investigation is still ongoing, according to the MDE. Preliminary results indicate that unprecedented high temperatures in July in the surface waters of the lake are causing fish to be stressed and set the stage for a parasite protozoan infestation. This leads to a lethal secondary bacterial infection, primarily affecting fish in the lower upstream section of the lake.

The bacteria causing this secondary infection, Aeromonas hydrophila, is commonly present in the intestinal tract of healthy fish, said a DNR spokesperson. The affected fish were initially cold-water species such as yellow perch, walleye, smallmouth bass, and northern pike that are adapted to temperatures less than 73.4 degrees Fahrenheit/23 degrees Celsius. Warm-water species such as largemouth bass, catfish, and bluegill sunfish are now also being affected.

While a fish kill of this type is rarely seen in Deep Creek Lake because of its normally low water temperatures, it is not uncommon in other areas of the state, according to the DNR.

Read the full article here.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

Deep Creek Do It All specializes in cleaning services in Garrett County & @ Deep Creek Lake. Give them a call (301-501-0217) or visit the website – competitive rates and quality results from a locally owned & operated company!

MCHENRY, MD. — Scientists say hot weather may be behind the deaths of about 500 fish at Deep Creek Lake in western Maryland.

The state Department of the Environment said Thursday that high air temperatures this month warmed the lake’s surface and created ideal conditions for an infestation of parasitic microorganisms that affect the gills of certain cold-water fish.

The agency says the fish kill is affecting mainly cold-water species such as yellow perch, walleye, smallmouth bass and northern pike.

Environmental regulators and the state Department of Natural Resources are still collecting and analyzing water and fish samples. They say they won’t know for sure what caused the kill for several weeks.

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/breaking/state-suspects-hot-weather-in-deep-creek-fish-kill-99555964.html#ixzz0v5oxTcnq

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350 Deep Creek Lake Info, Business Directories, Classified Ads, Events & more! Advertise on www.DeepCreekAlive.com!

Megan Miller
Cumberland Times-News

— DEEP CREEK LAKE — The mysterious deaths of hundreds of fish in Deep Creek Lake have prompted an investigation by state environmental officials and a warning to lakegoers to avoid all contact with fish carcasses.

As of Thursday afternoon, approximately 200 fish had been found dead in and around the lake, in what Maryland Department of the Environment spokeswoman Dawn Stoltzfus called “a localized, sustained fish kill.”

“At this time, no evidence suggests a threat to human health; however, visitors and residents are advised to avoid touching, swimming with, or coming into close proximity to any dead fish,” MDE officials stated in a news release.

Stoltzfus said the first dead fish began appearing Saturday.

The cause and exact location of the fish kill is still unknown. It appears to have occurred in the deepest part of the lake, Stoltzfus said, because most of the dead fish have been large adults. Shallower waters do not seem to be affected, at this point.

Many fish have washed up on the beach in the Green Glade Cove area, but that could be due to the direction the wind blows off the lake.

“Where they’re ending up isn’t necessarily where the fish kill is happening,” she said.

The majority of the dead fish have been yellow perch, but walleye, smallmouth bass, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, bluegill, chain pickerel, Northern pike and crayfish carcasses have also been found.

MDE and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources have launched an investigation into the cause of the fish kill. Investigators will conduct water quality, carcass and fish feces testing, and a diagnostic analysis of affected species.

On July 11, an electrical malfunction at a pump station caused 42,000 gallons of sewage to overflow along the shore of the lake, near the intersection of U.S. Route 219 and Lake Shore Drive. But Stoltzfus said investigators have not yet found evidence that points to any specific cause for the fish kill, including the sewage spill.

Fish kills are a very unusual occurrence at Deep Creek Lake. MDE only has record of one other such incident, in 2004, in which an individual reported 78 dead yellow perch. When investigators arrived at the lake, they did not find any fish carcasses or any evidence that pointed to a cause for a fish kill.

People who find dead fish in the lake area or have information about anything that could have contributed to the ongoing incident should contact MDE at 443-482-2732.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350 Deep Creek Lake Info, Business Directories, Classified Ads, Events & more! Advertise on http://www.deepcreekalive.com/!