Letters have been sent to officials with the Ontario government after thousands of fish unexpectedly died in the Ausable River this past summer.
Different species of dead fish were found in the Port Franks area in late July.
University of Toronto Scarborough PhD student Jennifer Powell was conducting research in the Lambton Shores area when community members reached out about the concerning occurrence.
Powell recently emailed a letter on behalf of local residents to draw attention to the Ausable River, start conversations with government agencies, and improve the reporting and investigative process. The letter sent to various ministers and party leaders, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford, was signed by nearly 200 community members.
Ontario Nature, a charitable organization dedicated to protecting wild species and spaces, also sent a letter on October 12 to the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF). Their letter also urged government agencies to establish better systems "to respond in a timely manner to events like this in the future."
As detailed in Powell's letter, the MNRF's fish die-off phone line is unavailable on evenings and weekends. Although the incident was first noticed on July 28, a member of the MNRF did not attend the area until August 1.
Due to the state of decomposition, ministry staff could only test samples from frozen fish collected by Powell and a local resident.
She said from what community members reported, the trail of dead fish spanned at least 16 kilometres along the river.
A public meeting was later held in Port Franks on August 25 with members of the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA). Ministry representatives were not present at the meeting but a statement from the MECP was sent.
"At this time, the ministry has completed its assessment. The ministry did not identify any spills or other sources of contaminants that could have contributed to the die off," read the MECP statement. "Based on how widespread the dead fish have been located, both in the Ausable River and along the shores of Lake Huron, and discussions with other agencies involved, it has been determined that the die-off is likely the result of naturally occurring conditions."
Powell said the statement was poorly received.
She said many community members were skeptical as there was no information about what exactly was analyzed and how the final conclusion was reached.
"As an aquatic scientist, I fully understand that these kind of events can be triggered by environmental conditions but they're also much more likely to occur when you have high temperatures and heavy rains, when the system is already degraded," she said. "The area where I study my fish is adjacent to the Ausable River and they were subject to the same environmental conditions, the same high temperatures and rain... and none of the fish in those systems died but they did in the Ausable River. So there's something else going on here."
Since August, Powell said she has not seen a public update or statement from government agencies on the matter.
Powell said at this point, it's unlikely more will be known about the circumstances of the fish kill. However, there's an opportunity moving forward to make improvements and protect the watershed.
In the meantime, Powell has been posting updates to the Lambton Shores Endangered Fish Adventure Facebook page.
The MECP responded to an email from Sarnia News Today but did not specify if there would be any follow-up with Powell or the local conservation authority. Additional information about the investigation was also not provided.
"In August 2023 the ministry concluded its assessment of the die-off in the Ausable River and determined it was a result of naturally occurring conditions that did not require any further action," read an emailed response from the MECP. "To keep the public informed the results were provided to the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority in August 2023 which held an information session that was open to the public."