Fishkill, or coincidence? Call or not care?

[gfen]

This weekend, I hit the river to do some smallmouth fishing. Its a popular area for people to fish for alot of things, including catfish. It happens to be at the confluence point for a canal and a small spring.

At this point, where they run into the river, were approximately 20 dead blue gills. All 'gills, and all about 3-4" long. They were collected all in one spot.

The canal would normally be full of them, and there's always a few where it sort of empties into a pool, before it mingles into the river. The thing is, right now the canal is 100% empty.

There were no other fish. No carp, bass (LM or SM), trouts, eels, etc etc etc. Just small gills.

Call it in, or just write it off as someone throwing away their dead bait, or even someone trying to rescue fish out of the canal and toss them into the river?

 

[jayL]

Probably flathead anglers throwing their bait away.

 

[gfen]

Once I sat down there and thought about it, its the same conclusion I came to, and why I didn't bother.

If it was different sized fish, or different species, I'd be more prone to care.. Case in point, there is thermal refuge here, so you'd think there'd be a dead trout in that mix if the water was toxic, not just blue gills.

But, I put it out there in case peopel thought I did the wrong thing.

 

[franklin]

Maybe Mike would see this thread and provide some guidance as to when to call or not.

 

[Mike]

My number 1 guideline on any list would be that when you report a pollution event or a fish kill, you need to give more info than saying you hit "the river." If you want any chance of a timely response, you need to say exactly where and when.

I suspect you meant the Schuylkill, but historically when people said "the river" and they were from Berks Co or much of eastern Pa, they meant the Susquehanna, not the Schuylkill. When the term "the river" was coined, the Schuylkill was for all intents and purposes a dead sea.

 

[gfen]

Actually, I didn't. Mostly because I didn't think it mattered as I wasn't treating PAFF as a reporting tool to PFBC, I recognize for a proper response proper methods would need to be followed.

"The river," was actually the Lehigh. The canal, of course, being the Lehigh Canal. Neither of these have any bearing on the question if a pile of dead bluegills qualifies as a notifiction worthy event, but I think the couple of responses I did get, and the general lack thereof, indicates we all agree: Someone's disposed bait.

 

[osprey]

How about a lightning strike?