COUSINS POND STREAM FISHKILL 2020
Preliminary Report
October 2020
COUSINS POND STREAM FISHKILL PRELIMINARY REPORT, OCTOBER 2020
SUMMARY
A manure spill and associated fish kill in Irishtown, PEI was reported to the Prince Edward Island Department of Justice and Public Safety on June 3, 2020.
Representatives from the Department of Justice and Public Safety, the Department of Environment, Water and Climate Change, Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Kensington North Watersheds Association responded to the incident.
A total of 530 brook trout were collected over a 2.5 km section of stream flowing into Cousins Pond on the North Shore of PEI.
Officials with the provincial Department of Justice and Public Safety and Environment and Climate Change Canada continue to investigate the incident.
BACKGROUND
At 5:23 PM, June 3, 2020, the Manager of Investigation and Enforcement from the PEI Department of Justice and Public Safety (PEIJPS) received a call from the Kensington Police Service reporting a manure spill on the Irishtown Road. A farmer had discovered liquid manure leaking from a pipe and entering an unnamed stream leading to Cousins Pond on the north shore of Prince Edward Island. This individual also called the coordinator with the Kensington North Watersheds Association and the 1-800 Environmental Emergency number.
A Conservation Officer (PEIJPS) arrived at approximately 6:15 PM. The Coordinator and a crew member with the Kensington North Watershed Association were also on site.
RESPONSE AND INSPECTION DETAILS
During the evening of June 3, the watershed coordinator and Conservation Officer assisted the farmer in trying to contain the manure spill using straw bales. Liquid manure was seen entering the main branch of the unnamed stream leading to Cousins Pond. The Watershed Coordinator and a crew member observed three dead brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) downstream from the St. Andrews Road. One of the fish had been partially eaten by a scavenger.
On June 4, 2020, an Environment Officer from the Department of Environment and Climate Change Canada joined the Manager of Investigation and Enforcement and a Conservation Officer at the site. The manager of Investigation and Enforcement and the Conservation Officer collected dead fish from the Andrews Road to the junction of the intermittent stream which carried manure from the spill site. Water and fish samples were collected were transported to the Environment and Climate Change Canada laboratory. Ten brook trout collected on June 4 by the Freshwater Fisheries Biologist and two crew members with the
Kensington North Watersheds Association were kept refrigerated overnight and submitted to the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative at the Atlantic Veterinary College on June 5, 2020.
Figure 1. Unnamed stream leading to Cousins Pond, PEI. The length of stream affected is indicated in red.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS Rainfall
The weather in the week prior to June 3, 2020 was variable, with air temperatures recorded at Environment Canada’s Summerside PEI weather station ranging from 11.8 to 25.2˚C but just 6.5 mm of rainfall in total was recorded over three of those days.
Water Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen
On June 4, 2020 the Freshwater Fisheries Biologist used aYSI meter to obtain the temperature and oxygen at three stream locations: The Andrews Road crossing of the main branch (Site 1), the Andrews Road crossing of the western tributary (Site 2), and the Route 20 crossing (Site 3). Water temperatures at these locations were 10.2˚C, 14.0˚, and 12.3˚ respectfully. These
temperatures are within the optimum range for brook trout. Dissolved oxygen concentrations were close to saturation values for these temperatures, at 12.8 mg/L, 11.7 mg/L and 12.3 mg/L.
FISH CLEAN-UP
Clean-up of dead fish on the Cousins Pond stream was completed on June 4, 2020, with a total of 530 brook trout collected. The Manager of Investigation and Enforcement and a Conservation Officer collected 118
brook trout upstream from the Andrews Road to the junction of the main branch and the intermittent stream tributary. These fish were given to the Environment Officer with
Environment and Climate Change Canada for analyses at Environment and Climate Change Canada laboratory in Moncton.
The Freshwater Fisheries Biologist with the Department of Environment, Water and Climate Change was accompanied by two members of the Kensington North Watersheds Association crew in collecting 412 dead brook trout from Route 20 to the Andrews Road. They picked up the first dead brook trout approximately 200 m upstream from Route 20 but encountered more dead fish in the middle to upper section of stream. Live fish were also present throughout this section, in particular the downstream portion, and some moribund fish collected. These fish were lying on their sides in shallow water and easily picked up. A number of trout fry were unable to be retrieved, as they were in deep water and not easily collected once the water became turbid. It is estimated that approximately 100 trout fry were left in the stream. Ten fish were placed in bags and kept refrigerated until submitted to the Atlantic Veterinary College on June 5, 2020. Two of these fish were dead when collected and the other eight fish were moribund. The majority of the 412 fish collected were young-of-the-year (<8 cm) brook trout fry. These were not measured but were assigned an average length of 4 cm, as determined by measuring a subsample.
Figure 2. Location of temperature and oxygen monitoring sites and electrofishing locations on Cousins Pond Stream.
It was noted during the June 4 clean-up that there were occasional pools of standing water in the floodplain that were dark in colour and had a strong odour of manure.
Two wildlife technicians from the Department of Environment, Water and Climate Change canoed Cousins Pond from the shore upstream to Route 20 on June 4, 2020, but no dead fish were found in this section. The technicians reported smelling a manure-like odour in the stream near the Route 20 intersection.
Figure 3. Length frequency graph for 412 brook trout collected in Cousins Pond stream, June 4, 2020.
RESULTS WATER AND FISH ANALYSES
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Water and fish samples were collected by an Environment and Climate Change Canada Environment Officer on June 4, 2020. The results of these tests are unavailable.
FISH NECROPSY – Appendix II
Ten brook trout that were collected in the Cousins Pond stream on June 4, 2020 were submitted to the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative at the Atlantic Veterinary College on June 5, 2020.
The fish were seen to have significant decomposition but eight of the ten fish showed evidence of recent feeding. This would indicate that the fish were healthy prior to a sudden death. No underlying infectious diseases were found in a sample of five of the less decomposed fish. The necropsy report notes that all of the fish smelled strongly of domestic animal manure.
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32
Number of Fish
Length (cm)
Cousins Pond Stream - June 4, 2020 Brook Trout Length Frequency
N=412
FISH POPULATION IMPACT ASSESSMENT
The Forests, Fish and Wildlife Division carried out fish population assessments at three locations on Cousins Pond stream on July 16-17, 2020. Fish were captured using a Smith-Root LR-24 backpack electrofisher and a three pass removal technique with barrier nets at upstream and downstream boundaries of the site. The density of fish per 100m2 was determined using the Zippon method. Brook trout density ranged from 83.2 trout/100m2 at the lowest site near Route 20 to 22.6 trout/100m2 at the upper site closest to the St. Andrews Road. Nine American eels (Anguilla rostrata) were captured at the lower site, giving them a density of 11.1 eels/100m2. The majority of fish sampled were trout fry <8 cm (Figure 5).
Figure 4. The density of fish at three electrofishing sites on Cousins Pond stream, July 16-17, 2020.
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Lower Site Middle Site Upper Site
Fish Density per 100m2
Brook Trout and Eel Density Cousins Pond Stream - July 2020
Brook trout Eel
Figure 5. Length frequency graph of fish surveyed in Cousins Pond stream, July 16-17, 2020.
FISH STOCKING
On September 14, 2020, the Department of Environment, Water and Climate Change - Forests, Fish and Wildlife Division - stocked 3700 fall fingerling brook trout into Cousins Pond stream.
These fish, offspring from Wilmot River broodstock, were produced at the Abegweit Biodiversity Enhancement Hatchery in Scotchfort. Half of the fish were stocked immediately upstream from Route 20 and the remaining fish stocked downstream and upstream from the St.
Andrews Road.
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28
Number of Fish
Fish Length (cm)
Cousins Stream - July 2020
Brook Trout Length Frequency
Lower (N=98) Middle (N=88) Upper (N=17)
APPENDIX I
COUSINS POND STREAM FISHKILL June 4, 2020
PHOTOS
Photos 1-2. Kensington North Watersheds Association technicians collect dead fish in Cousins Pond stream. June 4, 2020.
Photos 3-4. Dead brook trout in Cousins Pond stream. June 4, 2020.
Photo 6. A sample of brook trout fry collected in Cousins Pond stream. June 4, 2020.
Photo 7. One of the larger brook trout collected in Cousins Pond stream. June 4, 2020.
Photo 8. Forests, Fish and Wildlife technicians canoe Cousins Pond. June 4, 2020.
Photo 9. Brook trout fingerlings were stocked into Cousins Pond stream in September 2020.
APPENDIX II
COUSINS POND STREAM FISH KILL NECROPSY RESULTS
Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative at the Atlantic Veterinary College