‘Confluence of events’ may have caused mysterious fish kill off Nova Scotia

By The Canadian Press

HALIFAX – A federal scientist says the recent high-profile fish kill off southwestern Nova Scotia may have been caused by a “confluence of events,” including fish behaviour, weather, and various ecological factors such as predators.

However, Alain Vezina says it’s still not known what caused thousands of herring and shellfish to wash ashore at several points between late November and through December.

Vezina, who is regional director of science for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), says causes such as pollution, pesticides, and naturally occurring toxins have been ruled out.

He says overall the kill was a “small and localized event” that occurred over a 100 kilometre swath from St. Marys Bay to Tusket.

Vezina says it’s estimated hundreds of thousands of herring died, but that’s still a small fraction in terms of the overall percentage of allowable catch given to fishermen.

DFO officials say they are continuing to monitor the area, but believe the kill event is concluding.

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