Trapped in ice, 'thousands' of fish die in Detroit River (MI)

[deminks]

From Jan 21, 2011.

http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Trapped+thousands+fish+Detroit+River/4141535/story.html

Residents in Riverside are concerned about what they say is a major fish kill in the Detroit River.

Andre Mailhot was out walking his Jack Russell terrier in Alexander Park - a municipal park that runs along Riverside Drive roughly between Strabane and George Avenues - on Tuesday when he saw "thousands and thousands" of dead fish floating in the water.

"I couldn't believe it. As far as I could see, I could see all those little white spots," Mailhot said. "They were just coming down the river like somebody threw them in the water."

(snip)

He said he returned to the park on Wednesday and found two dead ducks.

(end snip)

[MineralMan]

1. Canada. A sudden drop in temperature caused the river to

freeze, catching unwary fish in the ice. It happens. It's really, really cold just now. Here in Minnesota, the temps dropped down to -18 degrees F. in the last cold snap, and down to -10 just last night. And that's in Southeastern Minnesota. Up on the Canadian border, actual temperatures went down to -40 below. Stuff happens when it gets really, really cold, you know. Ducks die, too. They normally migrate southward. The few that don't are at great risk.

Just because people are concerned doesn't mean what happened is abnormal. It just means that they don't know why and haven't the knowledge to understand why. Fish die all the time in sudden weather changes. It happens.

[trotsky]

2. No way, man! It was Dick Cheney's freeze ray! n/t

[MineralMan]

3. Whoa! I hadn't thought of that. We're all doomed now!

:rofl:

[sufrommich]

9. This part of Canada (Windsor) is near Detroit,just across the

bridge.I'm just pointing this out because people tend to assume that all of Canada is in the far north (there are parts of Canada that are south of Detroit).It is common to have fish kills when the weather gets this cold though.

[MineralMan]

11. Yeah, I know. Temps were pretty low for the past couple of

days in Detroit. And you're certainly right about fish dying in very cold weather.

[MineralMan]

4. Winter Fish Kill Information

Public Domain Article from the Michigan DNR:

Winter Kill

Winterkill is the most common type of fish kill. When severe, it has devastating effects on fish populations and fishing quality. Winterkill occurs during especially long, harsh winters, such as occurred in northern Michigan during the winter of 1995-96. Shallow lakes with excess amounts of aquatic vegetation and mucky bottoms are prone to this problem. Fish actually die in late winter, but may not be noticed until a month after the ice leaves the lake because the dead fish are temporarily preserved by the cold water. Winterkill begins with distressed fish gasping for air at holes in the ice and ends with large numbers of dead fish which bloat as the water warms in early spring. Dead fish may appear fuzzy because of secondary infection by fungus, but the fungus was not the cause of death.

Actually, the fish suffocated from lack of dissolved oxygen. Trace amounts of dissolved oxygen (measured in parts per million, ppm) are required by fish and all other forms of aquatic life. Even living plants and the bacteria that decompose organic materials on the bottom of the lake require oxygen. As a rule of thumb, the critical level of oxygen is about 2 ppm for most game fish native to warmwater lakes, and levels below 1 ppm for extended periods of time are lethal.

But species of fish vary in their tolerance of low oxygen. Trout are most sensitive; walleye, bass, and bluegill have intermediate sensitivity; and northern pike, yellow perch, and pumpkinseed are relatively tolerant. Bullheads and certain minnows are very tolerant. Lakes prone to periodic winterkill can often be detected from the composition of their fish populations - tolerant species predominate, sensitive species are rare, and prey greatly outnumber predators. Fortunately, usually enough fish survive, either in the lake or in connecting waters, to repopulate the lake in a couple of years. Only for extreme die-offs is fish restocking necessary.

The dissolved oxygen content of water depends primarily on three variables. These are the amount of mixing with the air above the lake, the rate of oxygen production by plants, and the rate of oxygen consumption (respiration) by living aquatic organisms. During periods of prolonged ice cover, the lake is sealed off from the atmosphere and cannot be recharged with oxygenated air. Furthermore, ice and snow reduce the amount of sunlight reaching aquatic plants, thereby reducing photosynthesis and oxygen production. (During photosynthesis, living plants use sunlight energy and carbon dioxide to make plant tissue and dissolved oxygen). Meanwhile, on-going consumption of oxygen depletes the supply of oxygen stored in the lake when the lake froze over. Shallow, productive lakes are at a disadvantage because they have a low storage capacity and high rates of oxygen-consuming decomposition.

February is usually a critical period and is the best time to check the oxygen content of lakes prone to winterkill. A good midwinter thaw about then often recharges the lake's oxygen supply by means of photosynthesis and melt water. Conversely, a prolonged winter, with continuous snow cover and late ice-out, increases the chance of winterkill.

A short-term solution to impending winterkill, suitable for ponds and small lakes, is to aerate with commercial devices or outboard motors. A significant improvement can be made in the oxygen content of about 1 acre of water by running a small outboard motor for about 4 hours. Select a relatively warm day to use the outboard method. Mount the outboard on a dock, frame, or small boat and lower the shaft into a large hole in the ice. Tilt and run the motor so as to push water on top of the ice. Then, at the edge of the flooded area, chop more holes so the water can return. Beware of weakened ice! Move to another location before the outboard hole becomes dangerously enlarged or water is no longer pushed onto the ice. Run the motor over relatively deep water so that bottom mud is not stirred up along with the water.

The only long-term solution for winterkill lakes is to reverse the natural process of filling and enrichment (eutrophication). Dredging or sucking bottom sediments can increase the volume of water, reduce the nutrient-rich sediment, and reduce the growth of nuisance plants. However, such projects are extremely costly, require a site for disposing of the bottom material, and may require a permit. Lake residents can help slow down the rate of eutrophication by keeping all types of plant fertilizers out of the lake.

[RegieRocker]

5. Dead fish cover 20-miles of Arkansas River

Arkansas Game & Fish is trying to figure out why 100,000 fish in Northwest Arkansas turned up dead. They were found along a 20-mile stretch between the Ozark Dam and Highway 109 Bridge in Franklin County.
Advertisement

The 20-mile stretch along the Arkansas River where an estimated 100,000 drum fish were found washed ashore and floating looks much different now.

Keith Stephens with Game and Fish explains, "We got a call last week from a tug boat operator that found the fish out on the river along the bank, in the river channel and we immediately dispatched somebody to the area to take a look."

Investigators from local and state agencies took samples from the affected area. Stephens says fish kills occur every year, but the magnitude of this one is unusual, and disease could be the cause.

A pollutant would have affected cross species. Stephens says, "Ninety-nine percent of them were Drum, which is a bottom feeder. It's not a game fish in Arkansas."

Some fish collected were alive and visibly sick. They have been taken to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff for testing.

The affected area was never closed and fishing is encouraged. "Right now it's fine to fish. If you go out there you can still fish for bass and crappie, catfish, it will be fine. Obviously don't' eat the dead fish."

As for clean up, nature is taking its course. "We'll have raccoon and birds and things like that will take care of it so there is really no clean up, it's really too big. It's contained along the river channel."

Monday, officials expect to have an estimate of how many fish died. They will release the test results as soon as they get them.

This was not due to freezing.
http://www.todaysthv.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=136401&catid=2

[MineralMan]

6. As the wildlife guy said, fish kills happen every year.

This one was probably caused by disease, also as he said. A single species kill is usually caused by some disease. Fish get sick, too.

A fish kill this large probably won't happen again there for years. But, it will happen again. It's happened before, too.

[RegieRocker]

7. Total B.S.

for sheeple.

[MineralMan]

8. Ah, I see. Well, you know best, I suppose.

From now on, I'll check with you, instead of wildlife professionals. See ya.

[sufrommich]

10. Yes, why believe the DNR when you have RegieRocker to

give you the facts! :rofl:

[MineralMan]

12. Seriously, some guy walking along the river sees a bunch

of dead fish and goes OMG! He calls the newspaper, where some reporter shows up and goes WFT? Then the news guy writes it up without checking with anyone who might actually know why the fish died. This is a classic OMG WFT story. The raccoons and other critters along the river are going to be very happy and fat from this. That's much is for sure. And, then, there are the two dead ducks. That adds a special WTF to the whole thing, I think.

[dionysus]

13. well I read that obama and biden pumped 5 tons of TSP directly into the river to kill the fish, just

because they could!1!!!1

[MineralMan]

16. You betcha!

[RegieRocker]

17. S. O. P. or better yet standard operating explanation. You betcha that

is the S. O. P. for your friends.

[Odin2005]

14. Yup, that poster thinks pollution has caused O2 levels to be half in cities.

:crazy:

[RegieRocker]

18. Another fan of government that believes everything it tells them.

[uppityperson]

32. Another fan of "if 'no it doesn't' doesn't work, post a nonsensical insult".

Government believes everything it tells them? Word salad time!

[RegieRocker]

38. Look in the mirror. That would be you and the one I replied to.

You and others seem to be fans of school yard humor.

[Name removed]

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[GoCubsGo]

19. I'm guessing he missed the "trapped in ice" part, too.

Those fish in look like alewifes, which are notorious for mass die-offs. The wimpy, fragile, little suckers just don't do well with big temperature changes.

[RegieRocker]

21. The fish are not trapped in ice. I guess you didn't look at

the picture. Figures.

[GoCubsGo]

22. Yes, I did look at the picture.

How the fuck do you think I know they were alewifes? Dead fish wash up on shorelines.

[RegieRocker]

23. How the fuck did you not see that there was no ice.

If it's that cold up there. ROFLMAO

[GoCubsGo]

24. "No ice"?

What the hell do you think those clear chunks are that are sitting on and next to the dead fish???? The goddamn headline says "Trapped in ICE". From the fourth paragraph in the article: "the fish became embedded in the ice".

[RegieRocker]

25. What the fuck are you smoking? The fish are supposed to

be in the ice not next to it?

[GoCubsGo]

27. Nice try.

Once again, the article and photograph state that the fish were trapped by ice. Why you insist on arguing otherwise only shows that you are the one smoking something. And, it's some pretty bad stuff, apparently.

[sufrommich]

29. You need to just back out of this argument. The shores of

icy lakes and rivers pile up with chunks of broken ice in the winter.Whatever is in those chunks of ice make it to the shore too.

[RegieRocker]

33. And it melted when it's below freezing. LOL yep that is real cold..

[uppityperson]

36. The. River. Did. Not. Freeze. Solid. All. The. Way. To. The. Bottom.

damn, still using 2 syllable words. Off to think how to use single syllable words.

[uppityperson]

30. trapped in ice. Ice gets shoved onto the shore and broken.

:eyes:

[uppityperson]

26. This ice?

http://www.windsorstar.com/news/4141536.bin

[GoCubsGo]

28. Yes, that ice.

Thank you. I tried including that photo with my post, but for some reason, it wouldn't embed.

[uppityperson]

31. but, but, but, they aren't now IN the ice, just WITH the ice, so see?

it is wrong because ice never breaks up, see?

You are welcome.

[RegieRocker]

34. It's wrong because ice doesn't melt above freezing. But wait isn't the

Same latitude as minnesota where all the lakes are freezing?. What a crock. Like shooting fish in a barrel.

[uppityperson]

35. Let me try small words. The river isn't frozen to the bottom. Hence there is some

ice, some water. Rather like ice in the far north/south. According to your logic, there can be no ice bergs because the H2O would either be frozen into ice or liquid as water.

Just because a lake at 1 latitude freezes does not mean a river elsewhere at the same latitude should freeze exactly the same way. OMG, I am at the same latitude as those frozen MN lakes, yet looking outside I see standing water and it is 48 degrees here. HOW can that BE?

What a crock indeed.

Oh damn. I used 2 syllable words.

[RegieRocker]

37. Someone was using the latitude earlier. I was quoting their

logic. Where did and how did you arrive that the river was frozen all the way to the bottom? Would it be a river in that state? The fish were photographed on the shore not in ice. The op posted the fish were in ice. Where is the proof? You think the fish were flash frozen like the mastodons do you? They died, floated to the top, then became frozen if they truly froze. My point was that of course they died from oxygen depletion or disease. Perhaps the oxygen depletion was further enhanced by a drop in the atmospheric oxygen levels. This world increase the amount of fish deaths world wide. One person was convinced and wanted to convince everyone that it only could be normal phenomenon. I disagreed that was a good way to view this and other mass fish kills this winter. Instead I have been insulted and accused of not being able to construct more than one syllable words and of being a right winger. IMHO the similarities between the far left and the far right are remarkable. I could get this same treatment on a right wing board. Example of the approach some have taken. "Oh wait is the word mastodon too big for you?"

[Name removed]

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