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Keep An Eye On Our River!

 
 
From the Hampshire Review website May 14, 2007: Recent reports of dead and dying fish in the South Branch of the Potomac River are being investigated, according to state environmental and natural resources officials. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the Division of Natural Resources have been concerned about fish health in the South Branch of the Potomac River watershed since a 2002 fish kill.
According to Bret Preston, assistant chief of the DNR Wildlife Resources Section, the recent kill is comprised mostly of northern hogsuckers and golden redhorse suckers. Other species reported include fallfish and sunfish. Dead fish have been reported from the North Fork of the South Branch and the South Branch of the Potomac River at a number of locations, including the Smoke Hole section of the river. DNR and DEP staff are collecting fish and water quality samples coinciding with this recent kill, and have been collecting these data as part of an ongoing fish health assessment in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey Leetown Fish Health Center and Water Science Center, U.S. EPA, and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture.
A substantial fish kill in the Shenandoah River and its tributaries in Virginia is being investigated by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. The Shenandoah has experienced recurring fish kills similar to those on the South Branch during the past few years.  Both states are actively cooperating and conducting research.
Anglers and other river users are encouraged to report sightings of distressed or dead fish to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Spill Hotline at (800) 642-3074 or they can complete an online reporting form at www.potomacwaterwatch.org     
 
 

Members of the Potomac Water Watch* received a report of a fish kill from Jeff Kelble with the Shenandoah Riverkeepers.  

 

It is essential to know if this is happening on other rivers.

 

Should you see any suspicious amounts of dead fish, or have information that might help us track this serious problem please contact us ASAP by return email (ci@cacaponinstitute.org) or by calling 304-856-1385.

 

 

See full article from the Moorefield Examiner Here

 

Jeff reported:  “I got an email from a fellow fisherman last night about a possible fallfish fish kill on the Main Stem Shenandoah between Route 50 and Loches Landing in Virginia.  …..  We observed dead Northern Hogsuckers scattered generously around the river.  We counted and GPS’ed over 50 in a couple hundred yards of river, and collected about a dozen for [study].  I’m emailing in the hopes that the fish types among us will consider checking their respective rivers to see if, like this summer, the kill is spread around not only the Shenandoah but also the South Branch and Main Stem Potomac.  The fish appear to have been dead at least several days so you don’t want to wait too long or the evidence will likely be gone.  I would value any reports.”

 

Request made by:

Neil Gillies

Executive Director

Cacapon Institute
P.O. Box 68
High View, WV  26808
 www.cacaponinstitute.org

 

*Potomac Water Watch is a partnership of the Appalachian Center for the Economy and the Environment, WV Rivers Coalition, Cacapon Institute, and Friends of the Cacapon River.  We focuses on fish kills, intersex, emerging contaminants and endocrine disrupters (http://www.potomacwaterwatch.org).