PUBLICATION:

Times Colonist (Victoria)

DATE:

2004.11.01

EDITION:

Final

SECTION:

News

PAGE:

A1 / Front

BYLINE:

Louise Dickson

SOURCE:

Times Colonist

ILLUSTRATION:

Color Photo: Debra Brash, Times Colonist / Biologist IanBruce holds some of the dead fish that have been turning up in increasing numbers in Reay Creek, which runs through North Saanich. Area environmentalists point the finger of blame toward the nearby Victoria International Airport but are still trying to run down the source of the problem.

Polluted creek killing fish: Reclamation work wasted as second major kill wipes out run

Pollution washing into a North Saanich creek from property at Victoria International Airport has caused two major fish kills in two years, Tom Davis, a founding member of the Sidney Anglers, charged Sunday.

More than 100 coho fry, introduced into Reay Creek by elementary school children this spring, were found belly-up in its pools and in a tributary near the airport about noon Friday. Several sticklebacks, which are considered to be hardier fish, were also floating on the surface of the poisoned stream.

"We know because of the location where the fish were found that it came from the airport," said Davis. "I believe Victoria Airport Authority is being lax and is not accountable for what comes off their property."

Richard Paquette, chief executive officer of the Victoria Airport Authority, said he would investigate the kill and share all the information with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and other authorities.

"I don't know anything that could have caused fish to die in the creek," Paquette said Sunday.

Biologist Ian Bruce, who works for Peninsula Streams, a stream and marine restoration organization, discovered, reported and cleaned up this recent fish kill. In March 2003, he pulled more than 500 dead coho fry and 80 cutthroat trout from Reay Creek. Those fish contained lethal levels of cadmium, said Bruce.

"There are more kills, more pollution. It's not getting any better," he said Saturday, scouring the creek for more dead fish. "All the fish are dead and there are kids playing down here. Pets are running through here. You have to ask if whatever is killing the fish is a public health concern."

When streams are healthy, the community can be healthy, economically, environmentally and socially, said Bruce.

"But if you don't have a healthy environment, you won't have a healthy community."

In the early 1980s, Reay Creek was worse than a polluted ditch, said Davis, who has done restorative work on the stream since 1981. That's when the Sidney Anglers began restoring the creek, removing garbage and creating pools for the fish. They stocked the creek with fry from Goldstream Park.

Initially, there were some setbacks, including three fish kills in the first four years of the program. Then the creek became self-sustaining and healthy. The salmon returned to the creek in the fall to spawn. One year, the coho run was so big, people joked that the fish were spawning on the runway. After the creek was cleaned up, cutthroat trout colonized it from the ocean.

The cutthroat trout were wiped out in the 2003 spill and have not come back.

"Those wild fish are done," said Davis. He is hoping the polluter, whoever that is, will be charged.

Environment Canada has not concluded its investigation of the 2003 kill, said Stefan Beckmann, an officer with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. DFO forwarded its information to the federal department for further study.

"There are excellent people at Environment Canada who can sift through the information and find something we didn't find."

On Friday, Beckmann began investigating the most recent kill. With Bruce, he combed the creek, finding dead coho fry and one dead adult coho.

"The adult had recently returned to the river to spawn," said Beckmann. "He was the first one to enter the river and he died."

Beckmann believes a concentrated pollutant entered the stream and killed the fish. The fisheries officer has taken fish and water samples and is sending them to the Environment Canada lab in Vancouver to be tested for pollutants. Other fish samples will be sent to the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo to be tested for disease.

"All we know right now is that we have dead fish," said Beckmann. "It's premature to say who it is or what it is."

The fish kill is serious and has had a devastating effect on the small stream, said Beckmann.

"Volunteers put a lot of work in there. It's a shame to see this sort of loss."

Elementary school teacher Anne Jespersen was feeling the loss this weekend. She had gone with her son's class from Deep Cove elementary on a field trip this spring to release the salmon fry into Reay Creek.

"It was such a positive thing. The children got their eggs in January and kept them at just the right temperature for incubation. Then they turned into little fry and they released them," said Jespersen. "It was just so neat."

She couldn't believe it when Bruce told her all the fry from that field trip had been wiped out.

"I just felt so sad that they're not coming back. None of them. Everything is killed."

Victoria airport blamed in poisoning death of fish in Reay Creek

VICTORIA - Fish are dying because of carelessness and lack of accountability on the part of the Victoria Airport Authority, Tom Davis, a founding member of the Sidney Anglers, charged Sunday.

More than 100 Coho fry, introduced into Reay Creek by elementary school children this spring, were found belly-up in its pools and in a tributary near the airport on Friday. Several sticklebacks, which are considered to be hardier fish, were also floating on the surface of the poisoned stream.

"We know because of the location where the fish were found that it came from the airport," said Davis. "I believe they are being lax and are not accountable for what comes off their property."

Richard Paquette, chief executive officer of the Victoria Airport Authority, said he would investigate the kill and share all the information with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and other authorities.

"I don't know anything that could have caused fish to die in the creek," Paquette said Sunday.