2 months after hundreds of fish died in the Ausable River, the province wont’ say what killed them | CBC News

Nearly two months after multiple species of fish inexplicably died in the Ausable River near Port Franks, Ont., families who live along the waterway say they’re still waiting on answers from the provincial government on what triggered the mysterious deaths in the first place. 

Jennifer Powell, a PhD student from University of Toronto’s who studies endangered fish in the Port Franks area said she’s been emailing the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) and Ministry of Natural Resources (MNRF) since the fish kill was first detected in July, hoping the government would provide clarity. 

“If we don’t start doing something, these kinds of things are just going to keep happening,” Powell said.

Residents in Lambton Shores began noticing dead fish in the Ausable River on July 28th. Four days later, investigators with MECP and the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) collected  samples and confirmed there were dead fish “in various locations” along the river.

Mari Veliz, the conservation authority’s healthy watershed manager, told CBC News in July that a number of environmental factors may contribute to fish kills. However, when asked about an update to the investigation Wednesday, Veliz declined to comment and instead referred the matter to the province.

The province said it is currently looking into whether there was any update to the investigation in July, but was unable to provide CBC News with any new information before publication time Wednesday. 

Powell said the investigation in the July fish kill, as it stands, has been inconsistent. It’s why a number of residents signed a letter addressed to Ontario Environment Minister Andrea Khanjin demanding answers about what may have killed the fish.

“[The province] said that the results are going to take four to six weeks. It’s now over two months,” Powell said.

“To actually assess any kind of fish kill accurately, really, you need to get out to the fish site quickly to be able to investigate before the conditions dissipate, which didn’t happen in this case.”