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Ministry officials have a strong suspect for the agent that killed more than a thousand fish in the Ottawa River.
Two more catfish have tested positive for the waterborne bacterial disease columnaris.
Visible signs of the infection were also found on some live catfish that had been netted for testing. Symptoms include lesions, blotchy circles and white dots on the skin, gills and mouths of the catfish.
Those fish have been sent to labs in Guelph for testing, along with other catfish that have no visible signs of the disease.
It’s not over yet. Officials will continue to investigate other possibilities for the massive kill that left about 1,000 fish, predominately catfish, washed ashore on the Ottawa River.
“It’s not categorized as ‘mystery solved,’ but we’re confident we found something that is clearly responsible for this event,” said Ministry of Natural Resources spokesman Doug Skeggs.
The ministry will maintain focus on 25 km of shoreline, from Castleford to Chats Falls, where most of the sightings have been, and fish will also be tested for other things, such as viral infections.
Columnaris can be the primary pathogen, Skeggs explained, but the disease is “opportunistic.”
“If a fish is weakened by something else, this bacteria will run rampant because their system is weakened,” Skeggs said.
Although columnaris is not a threat to humans—and the ministry said river fish can be eaten — the Renfrew County and District Health Unit was advising people not to swim in the Ottawa River, between the Chenaux Dam and Arnprior.
Drinking water has not been affected.
Ottawa SUN