Dead fish washing up at Wascana Lake after “winter kill”

After a long, cold winter, dead fish are washing up on the shores of Wascana Lake in amounts many haven’t seen in a while.

It’s the aftermath of something called “winter kill,” where ice and snow block oxygen from entering the water.

Sarah Romuld, an ecologist for the Provincial Capital Commission, said this happens every spring.

However, because winter was longer and colder than usual, more dead fish are making an appearance.

“We do generally experience some form of winter kill with the fish. The severity just differs. Sometimes we get a mild winter. The past two winters have been relatively mild and so, come spring time, we don’t see so many dead fish come up,” Romuld said.

“This year we had a very long, very cold winter. Lots of snow, thick ice … (That affects) the amount of sunlight that’s able to make it through the ice, heat up the water, which leads to more bacteria growth, which eats up more of that dissolved oxygen that the fish are needing.”

Most of the fish are common carp, which are an invasive species that can’t handle the lower levels of dissolved oxygen in the water.

Pet owner Lynda Schofield has also seen dead fish near the off-leash dog park.

“I don’t ever recall it looking like this with this many floating, bloated bodies,” Schofield said.

That has Ayrianna Hrenyk worried about her pets.

“A lot of dogs like to take a drink out of the creek and go for a bit of a swim but with that, it’s a bit of a safety and health issue for some of the animals,” Hrenyk said.

Romuld said the PCC has workers cleaning up and is urging people to leave the job to the PCC out of safety.