Death of 30 Mill River eels caused by anoxic water, officials say
Rivers can become anoxic when too much algae grows, dies and rots
Island officials are blaming anoxic water for the death of 30 eels in a river in western P.E.I.
The eels were discovered yesterday along the eastern shore of the Mill River in Fortune Cove.
Eels are in season now, and provincial officials believe the eels were trapped in fisherman's nets, only to die from lack of oxygen in the water.
Rivers can become anoxic when too much algae grows, dies and rots — causing the river to turn green and giving it a foul odour.
Officials say a fisherman likely discovered the dead fish in the net, unfit for sale, and left them on the shore.
Bill McKinnon, who found the eels and contacted authorities, says he could see them all the way from the top of his stairway to the shore.
"When I got to the shore, that's when I discovered that there was considerably more than just the three or four that I had seen," he said.
"I got a five-gallon bucket and filled it to overflowing on about a 300-foot stretch."
McKinnon said he dumped out the eels, took a picture and contacted officials.