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Official report inconclusive on Noon’s Creek fish losses

Department of Fisheries and Oceans investigation into the causes of significant fish losses at the Noon’s Creek Hatchery in British Columbia, Canada, was able to rule out a virus or disease, but was unable to pinpoint a specific cause.

The hatchery has been averaging 30 dead fish per day, which is within normal parameters. However, there have been days when the number has spiked as high as 152. The vice-president of the Port Moody Ecological Society, Dave Bennie, said that there are a number of possible culprits.

“[It could be that] somebody’s having a car wash here or somebody putting fertilizer in, somebody using a pesticide,” said Bennie. “And we’ve been two weeks without any rain, so we’ve got low flows in our creek. Because we’ve got such a low flow in the creek, the concentration is higher. We’re not 100 per cent positive what it is.”

Bennie estimates that in total the hatchery has lost between 1,100 and 1,200 salmon due to these issues. The creek is located on the boundary between two municipalities – Port Moody and Coquitlam. Bennie said the hatchery has a water quality lab, and they are interested in performing tests at some of the storm drains up river.