Lake Ontario
Wildlife scientists are trying to find out why several species of fish are dying off by the thousands in eastern Lake Ontario.
Dead carp, smallmouth bass, sturgeon and other species have washed onto the shore of Point Peninsula, a Jefferson County island in the lake's northeast end. Birds have been feeding on the dead fish, and many of the birds -- including cormorants and seagulls -- have died, too.
Specimen samples have been sent to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York for testing.
The D-E-C suspects the fish are dying from a virus (viral hemorrhagic septicemia) that's new to the Great Lakes region. The same virus is believed to have caused the deaths of thousands of fish in Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River.
July 13, 2006 6:53 AM | Category: Animals