Do not have a lot of information about historical fishkills.

During the period of 1978 - 1990, there were no reported fishkills on PEI.

2 Biology Professors from UPEI released a study on the recovery of a steam after a pesticide related fishkill in 1977.

Johnson, CE and JC Cheverie. 1980. Repopulation of a Coastal Stream by Brook Trout and
Rainbow Trout after Endosulfan Poisoning, The Progressive Fish Culturist, 42(2):107-110

I do recall hearing stories about the one and only fishkill on the West River in 1971. However, it was quite bad if I can recall. Also, there was a bad fishkill on the Morell River in 1967.

If anyone has any information about these historical fishkills, we would be interested in hearing from you.

1999 was a very bad year for fishkills on PEI with eight fishkills reported and investigated.

Fish Kill Investigation Continues

Wednesday, July 14, 1999

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI -- Water, sediment, fish and plant tissue samples are currently being analyzed to determine the cause of the death of over one thousand fish found earlier this week in the Valleyfield River. Results from the tests are expected in two weeks. Due to the heavy losses of fish stocks, angling in the affected section of the river has been closed for the remainder of the 1999 angling season. This closure is in effect immediately and covers the section of the Valleyfield River below Egolf's Pond downstream to where the Valleyfield River joins the Montague River at Montague.

2000 was another bad year for fishkills on PEI.

Profit's Pond Test Results Released

July 28, 2000

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI -- The Department of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Environment released results Friday of pesticide analysis of samples collected from the Profit's Pond semi-natural salmon and trout rearing facility in West Prince.

Samples were collected as part of an investigation into fish mortalities that occurred earlier this month in two holding tanks which draw water from the pond.

Clair Murphy, Director of the Department's Water Resources Division, released the results of the pesticide analysis. He said a sample collected from the fish tank where approximately 1,500 four to six-inch brook trout died showed low levels of metribuzin, a pre and post-emergent herbicide used for weed control; and chlorothalonil, a commonly-used fungicide. A second sample collected from the centre of Profit's Pond, where some 39,000 salmon par are kept, showed a low concentration of metribuzin.

Murphy said the concentration of both chemicals was low compared to the acute toxicity levels for trout.

"The Canadian Water Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Freshwater Aquatic Life indicate that the acute toxicity level for metribuzin is 42,000 to 76,000 parts per billion (ppb). The highest concentration of this compound was found in the fish tank at 0.6 ppb. A concentration of 0.3 ppb was found in the pond."

2002 was a particularly bad year for fishkills, with 8 being reported.

Department Investigating Fish Mortalities

July 11, 2002

DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATING FISH MORTALITIES

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI -- The Department of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Environment is investigating an incident of fish mortalities discovered Wednesday.

The Department received a report late Wednesday afternoon of dead fish in the upper end of the Wilmot River in Norboro. Spokesperson Jim Young, Director of the Water Resources Division, said the call came from a member of a conservation group which was doing habitat improvement work in the area of Murphy's Bridge.

The Dunk River suffered a very significant fishkill over the weekend of July 21-22, 2007. However, there was another fishkill over the weekend, on the Tryon River. The Tryon river fish kill was reported first and environmental officials were investigating that fishkill, when the Dunk River fishkill was reported. As it turns out, the Dunk river fishkill was much worse.

Here is the PEI Government news release on July 23, 2007

Department Investigating Incident of Dead Fish

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI -- The Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry is investigating an incident where dead fish were discovered in an Island stream Sunday.

The following news release from PEI Gov E-Mail List.

The Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry and Environment Canada are investigating a reported fish kill in West Prince.

Dead fish were discovered on a two kilometre section of the east branch of the Montrose River on Tuesday.

The incident was reported by the Huntley-Montrose-Kildare Watershed Association.

Heavy rain fell on P.E.I. on Saturday and Sunday.

Environment officials have been on site collecting samples of fish, water and soil for analysis.

Officials are on site today continuing their investigation.

P.E.I. fish kill being investigated
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Local/2010-07-14/article-1564982/P.E.I...

Once again PEI has suffered a massive fish kill of trout and salmon in some of our best waterways. It has been referred to as catastrophic, where the rivers will take decades to recover from. The affected rivers are Big Pierre Jacques River, Mill River and the Trout River. The Trout river was recently recognized as one of the best Brook Trout fishing areas in Canada.

Once again, pesticides have been found in samples taken during the investigation and heavy rains have been blamed. Trying to blame it on the rain is a very poor excuse.

Once again, we are waiting for action on this constant scourge on our island waterways. This has not been the first time a river has had all of it's live wiped out.

One has to wonder about whatever is getting into the rivers (cough pesticides cough) and where it goes. Downstream obviously, right into our bays and estuaries. This is where a lot of our wonderful seafood comes from. World famous mussels are grown here, as well as oysters and clams. One has to wonder whatever killed all those fish, is now in the bays and estuaries. I am left wondering if PEI seafood is safe to eat ? What testing is done to confirm our seafood is not contaminated ?

Timeline of Events:

July 25th

• Two West Prince fish kills under investigation
• Two fish kills reported in western P.E.I.
• A devastating sight

July 26th

• Fish kill worst in decades
• Two rivers closed to angling after fish kills

July 27th

• P.E.I. river fish kills called 'catastrophic'
• Hatchery to help replenish rivers from fish kill

July 28th

• Recent fish kill devastating

July 29th

• Ag sector looking for answers in P.E.I. fish kill

August 2nd

• P.E.I. sport fishermen demand fish kill review
• We need action to protect our waterways

August 5th

• Pesticides found in fish kill water samples

August 10th

• Electroshocking will help determine damage from fish kills
• Two farmers charged in connection with fish kills

See a fishkill ? call 1-800-565-1633

The PEI Government Environmental Emergency Response Team responds to environmental emergencies including oil, pesticide and chemical spills, air quality problems, environmental/wildlife infractions, injured wildlife, and fish kills.

The first reported fish kill of 2010 has been reported in the north western section of the island, in the headwaters in Saint Louis area before Marchbank pond, which leads to the Montrose river.