Information on the
recent fish kill on the White River
Look's
pretty...doesn't it?
The White River in Indiana is one of the state's
greatest resources.
Hundreds of years ago, native Americans and early
settlers lived and camped near the banks of the White River enjoying a
habitat that flourished with large numbers of deer, fox, coyote,
raccoon, beaver, mink, and some of the best gamefish to be found in
the state of Indiana.
Today, many Hoosiers still live near the White River
and enjoy the river for what it has to offer. Additionally, many
species of animals and fish still call the White River home and depend
on a healthy river environment.
But, don't take too
close of a look...
There are few things more sickening to see than dead
or dying fish. After hearing media reports of a fishkill that
occurred on the White River between Anderson and Noblesville, Indiana,
I decided that I should take a look for myself...
When you hear about fishkills, different images pop up
in your mind. I have seen quite a few fishkills and it is
possible to see the water virtually lined end to end with dead fish
and wildlife. Obviously, the extent of the fishkill and the
number of fish in a pool will dictate the fatal image...and, knowing
the White River had a good population of fish, I expected the worst
possible image.
In downtown Noblesville, I was relieved to see a river
that did not contain the most horrific image that I envisioned.
On my side of the river, I did not see a single dead fish. I
scanned the opposite shoreline with my binoculars. Immediately,
I saw a large dead carp.
It is not uncommon to see a dead carp in the
wintertime...so I didn't immediately fret...however, when I slightly
moved the binoculars just a few feet down the shore...my heart sank
when I seen another extremely large dead carp. I knew what was
coming.... The entire bank had scattered dead fish.
How many dead fish do
you see?
I traveled north to take a closer look at the river
from the advantage of several bridge crossings. On rivers,
bridges usually cause a disruption in the normal flow of river
water. This disruption usually results in small islands that
will jut out towards the river. These are likely spots for
driftwood, trash and dead fish to land on.
I didn't have to travel far before I realized the
problem was much worse than the 2,000 fishkill number that was
previously reported.
Taking a closer
look...
There are at least 7 in this
photograph. This island alone had approximately 25 dead fish on
or around it...
Indiana DNR on the
scene
I saw several Indiana DNR vehicles in the area.
They were on the job... However, it was
first reported that gamefish were not affected in this fishkill.
This could not be farther from the truth.
I saw hundreds of catfish and
eight bass that were dead or dying. Of the eight bass,
seven were small (8 to 13 inch) smallmouth and one was a nice four
pound largemouth.
The smallmouth immediately drew
my attention...because they appeared to
be feeding on the top of the river surface...as if it was June (and
not late December). Several bass I saw would pop up to the
surface, turn over, and then the current would carry them downstream
10 to 15 feet before they would recover and attempt to swim upstream
again. They seemed to repeat this over and over again until they
were out of sight. Fish normally swim upstream.
These fish were trying to swim upstream...but were failing due to
their diminishing health.
On one bridge crossing, I was
overwhelmed by the number of dead and dying fish that were floating
past the bridge. Although, I did not keep a specific count, I
suspect that there were between 3 to 6 dead or dying fish that passed
the bridge crossing where I was at...each minute. If that rate
is continuous for 24 hours, that's between 4320 and 8640 dead or dying
fish in one day's time...
But it doesn't really matter what the specific number
is... What matters is that there will be a large section of the
White River that will suffer an almost total loss in fish! This
area will most definitely include the shallow river section all the
way from Anderson to the I-465 bridge in northern Indianapolis.
Most definitely, there will be effects on the
environment further downstream. Who knows how far this effect
will go... However, it is my belief that the fish south of I-465
in Indianapolis have a chance because of the increased river depth
from this section of the pool on south.
Sometimes it is hard
to see the immediate effect of such a tragedy...
Thanks to my fancy digital camera, I was able to
photograph the 3 dead fish (in the photo above) that were on the river
bottom in two to four foot of water. Contrary to popular belief,
when fish die, they don't always float to the top...some fish will
suspend and some fish will sink to the bottom.
There is not a doubt in my mind that many people will
find a way to downplay this fishkill or even dismiss it altogether as
"no big deal." But then again, I know some people will
join me in the next millennium to help make sure our environment gets
the attention and care that it needs.
Over the years, I have run across many people who
never thought of the White River, being in Indianapolis, as a great
fishery or a home to many animals. However, since the 1980's, I
have found the river to be a refreshing source of pleasure in my
leisure time...giving me a joy that I would like to pass on someday to
my future son or daughter...
"For the next one
thousand years, let's make sure
the fish have someplace to
swim...
and our children have some
place to fish..."
* This article was written on December 22,
1999. I will continue to provide updates.
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