Something fishy happened in the waters of Deckers Creek this week and now investigators with the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources (WV DNR) and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are trying to find what might have caused a “fish kill” in the creek.
A fish kill, or fish die-off, refers to the sudden and unexpected death of a number of fish in a population. A fish kill can be caused by any number of factors, ranging from dangerous chemicals being dumped in the water to various weather-related factors.
Dave Wellman, fisheries biologist with WV DNR, told The Dominion Post Thursday afternoon that crews were about halfway through their assessment, but could not yet point to a cause.
DNR received the first reported sightings of dead fish on Wednesday, but Wellman said, “It looks like the fish kill actually happened several days ago if you look at the state that fish are in – the decomposition levels – so they have been dead for a while.”
Wellman said overall they have found less than 100 fish dead in the creek and in a small area of the Monongahela River.
While he could not yet provide a cause, Wellman did say, “It looks like it originated in Deckers Creek and the fish that people are seeing along the river around the amphitheater most likely were flushed out of Deckers Creek several days ago during some high flow events.”
While the cause of the kill is still being determined, Wellman said they do not believe the threat is ongoing. “We are seeing live fish in the stream, and we are not seeing any other fish in distress,” he said.
If you had planned on bringing home some fresh fish for dinner tonight, Wellman said he could not say with certainty whether the fish are currently safe to eat because they have not yet determined the cause, but as far as he knows the live fish do not pose a health threat.
If you see a dead fish, or several, in the creek or river you should not touch or move them, so they can be counted by DEP personnel in the following days. You are asked to report the location of the fish to authorities so they can better assess the total area affected and determine a source.
Locations can be posted on Mon River Trails Conservancy Facebook page or by calling the DEP and leaving a message at 304-926-0499, Ext. 30205.
