Roseville fish kill cleanup slowed by rotting fish, murky water

Rotting fish and poor visibility aremaking the cleanup of the Rosevillefish kill a challenge.

Workers showed up Tuesday for a one-day cleanup of Little Miminegash River in western P.E.I., but weren't able to finishand returned Wednesday to complete the cleanup.

• Dead fish found in Roseville, P.E.I., watershed

"We missed a lot of fish, we know that," said Rosie MacFarlane, the freshwater fisheries biologist for P.E.I.

MacFarlanesaid when the fish kill was discovered Tuesday, the fish looked like they had been dead for four or five days.

During the cleanup yesterday, MacFarlane said the fish were rotting, and some had been washed off the riverbanks after heavy rain Tuesday evening.

Small portion of total kill

MacFarlane said the number of fish cleaned up after a fish kill is typically just a small portion of the total kill.

"Usually, if you're getting 10 per cent you're doing well," she said.

The little ones have been washed away, or gobbled up by something.- Danny Murphy

But she said with poor conditions and decaying fish, she expects less than 10 per cent will be cleaned up from this kill.

Danny Murphy, coordinator of the Roseville-Miminegash Watershed Inc., who discovered the kill and ishelping with the cleanup, said he's seen lots of dead trout, but no small ones.

"We're just getting big trout.So all the little ones have been washed away, or gobbled up by something," said Murphy.

More than 700 fish collected

By end of day Wednesday, Murphy said more than 700 fish had been collected.

Workers gathered more than 624 trout, 90 sticklebacks, threegaspereau, oneeel and oneperch.

He said they made a small dent on Wednesday and plan to continue on Thursday.

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