Fish Kills

http://www.purewaterforum.org/fishkill/?p=48

CALL FOR HELP - Fish Kill Spring 2008
Posted On: March 24th, 2008 by fkupdate · Filed Under: Get Involved, Fish Kill
The time is approaching for a ‘typical’ fish kill period, based on the water temperature and time of year when previous fish kills have occurred. Volunteers are needed over the next 3 weeks to help find and count dead fish in the Shenandoah River, and to identify fish species and document any injuries.
The types of injuries that might be found are in the slideshow below, or you can click here to view larger versions of the pictures with captions.
If you are out on the river and you see any sick or dead fish, please note your location and contact Jeff Kelbe, the Shenandoah Riverkeeper, at (540) 837-1479 and Don Kain, Fish Kill Task Force Co-Chair, at (540) 574-7815.
Water and Fish samples are being taken from the North and South Forks of the Shenandoah River, as well as the James River, but additional volunteers are needed to complete the surveys. Ted Turner of the Valley Regional DEQ office, says:
“What we are looking for this season are volunteers who would be willing to go out on the rivers after fish kills are reported, to look for dead and dying fish and estimate the extent of the kill. We’d also like some volunteers to go out before and after storms and look for dead and dying fish. From our observations in the past 4 years, this isn’t as easy as it seems. We’d like to get our volunteers together, and do some training for investigating the kills, such as how and where to find the fish, identifying species if possible, marking locations w/ GPS, and collecting water quality measurements (temp, pH, D.O., etc.) where possible.” To read more from Ted Turner, and to read Jeff Kelbe’s commentary on the river’s health throughout the season, visit the Shenandoah Riverkeeper’s Blog.
If you are interested in volunteering to monitor the fish kills this year, please click the “Read More” link below for additional information.
If you are interested in volunteering to help track fish problems this year, you can contact
Don Kain - Virginia DEQ - Fish Kill Task Force Co-Chair
(540) 574-7815
dgkain@deq.virginia.gov
Here is a helpful PDF reporting document that can be used to record fish issues you observe:
Fish Kill Count and Fish Injury Reporting Form
Please mail completed forms to:
Department of Game and Inland FisheriesAttn: Paul BugasP. O. Box 996Verona, VA 24482