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DARTMOUTH, NS, October 15, 2007- Environment Canada announced today that it has completed its testing of samples taken after fish kills at Dunk River and Tryon River, Prince Edward Island, in July 2007 and it concluded that it cannot determine the exact cause of either incident.
Samples of water, vegetation, sediment and fish were analyzed at the Environment Canada lab in Moncton, New Brunswick.
The pesticide Chlorothalonil was found in samples taken from the Tryon River and the pesticide Metribuzin was found in samples taken from the Dunk River. The levels of both pesticides detected were not high enough to cause fish kills.
The low amount of pesticide found in the fish tissue samples is not surprising given the amount of time between when the fish kills occurred and when the samples were gathered. The Tryon River fish kill was reported two days after it took place, and the Dunk River fish kill was reported three days after it occurred. Government officials gathered samples immediately after each kill was initially reported. However because the fish were dead for at least two days before the sampling began, the amount of pesticide in them may have degraded in that time.
There is not sufficient evidence at the present time to determine the cause or origin of the fish kills. As a result, no one can be charged with violating the pollution prevention provisions of the federal Fisheries Act. Environment Canada environmental enforcement field officers will continue to inspect properties adjacent to water bodies on Prince Edward Island and they will continue to take all the necessary actions to detect and deter practices that could endanger the water systems and fish habitat on the Island.
Officials emphasize that more sustainable land-management practices will also offer greater protection for these rivers and other bodies of water in the future. The examination of the Dunk River and Tryon River fish kills was conducted jointly by Environment Canada and the Prince Edward Island Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry.
Environment Canada
www.ec.gc.ca