18/03/2005 - The Environment
Agency has started an operation to deal with
dead bream which are being found in the city’s
Longton Park. To date, approximately 200 bream
and two roach have been found and removed.
The situation has been ongoing since the 19
February 2005. We have attended the site on
a number of occasions to investigate the situation.
Our officer checked the pool, including conditions
in the water, but there was no indication
of what caused the deaths. An officer from
our Environment Management team also attended
and took samples for full analysis.
A sample of fish has been sent to our National
Fisheries Lab at Brampton for analysis. Initial
reports of checks show a number of parasites
on the fishes’ skins and in their gills. An
initial explanation for the situation could
be that the pool contains too many fish.
The most likely solution to the situation
would be for us to mount an operation to remove
some of the fish from the pool. However, because
the moved fish would have to be sent to another
pool, they must be found to free from disease.
We are currently awaiting results from the
Brampton laboratory indicating whether the
dead fish are infected with any disease. A
removal operation at the moment would also
cause undue stress and possible further moralities.
Until the all-clear is given, the situation
will continue and it is possible that there
will be further fish deaths. The park keepers
are doing an excellent job removing the dead
fish and keeping us informed of the numbers.
We have received reports that some people
are removing dying fish from the bottom pool
and putting them into the top pool. Doing
this will increase the risk of a virus spreading
if it is present. This is also illegal under
Section 30 of the Salmon & Freshwater
Fisheries Act and anyone found doing it could
be prosecuted. Because of this we ask anyone
doing this to stop.
