This one is Canada...
Jan 4th, 2011
SARNIA, Ont. - Hundreds of dead fish that washed up on shore in the north end of the St. Clair River is a natural occurrence and not the result of a chemical spill, a government officials say.
Ministry of Natural Resources spokesperson Jolanta Kowalski confirmed that both the MNR and environment ministry were alerted to a massive die-off of gizzard shad fish late last week.
“We think it’s a natural occurrence,” Kowalski said. “They died off as a result of temperature shock because we had that really warm weekend ... and then it quickly cooled off again.”
Kowalski said such die-offs are not unusual but it typically happens in the spring.
Only one species was affected, further supporting the idea it was a natural occurrence, she said.
“There was nothing to indicate that it was man-made.”
http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2011/01/04/16757321.html
“They died off as a result of temperature shock because we had that really warm weekend ... and then it quickly cooled off again.”
That’s a rare occurence!
“We think it’s a natural occurrence,” Kowalski said. “They died off as a result of temperature shock because we had that really warm weekend ... and then it quickly cooled off again.”
Uh...no, that happens all the time.
What is different at least here...we’re 8F below normal/
Icefishermen on Lake St. Clair are reporting large schools of these shad which is a common occurance. What is unusual but probably not, is the large numbers of them.
From what I've picked up, they come down from Lake Huron and if there numbers are high that means the water quality is good, their food sources are high and they themselves are an excellent food source for the lake trout, salmon and all the other predator fish.
I remember growing up on Lake Charlevoix in northern Michigan. Every summer there would be a die off of these things, I think they came in from lake Michigan to spawn then die........very stinky time of the year.