A demand for answers after more dead fish wash up in Gatineau

Residentsare calling foranswers after about100 more dead fish were discovered by Quebec's Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks in eastern Gatineau, Que.

This is the fourth wave of deaths since early July. More than 2,000 dead fish have been found in the area where theLivre River joins the Ottawa River near Masson-Angers.

• Dead fish in Ottawa River 'concerning,' Riverkeeper says
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Teams from the ministry were on hand Wednesday night investigating the third wave of deaths that killed about1,000 fish earlier this weekwhen theydiscovered the latest batch of dead fish.

Samples are beingsent to a lab for analysis.

'We need answers, and quick'

"We need answers, and quick ... because four times in a month, it's too much," saidSylvain Lamoureux, deputy director of the localferry service Traversier Bourbonnais.

Over the past week, he and his employees have collected about150 dead fish, including a dozen different species, around the Gatineau side of the ferry's property.

"After a month, [tests]needto be done urgently," he said. "People are swimming in this. It's not acceptable."

One of the people who swims, fishes and boats regularly in bothrivers is Mathieu Riel.

He only learned about all the dead fish Thursday, and said he was surprised.

"[The river is] something that's part of me. I've been fishing in there and swimming for so long, since I [was] young. So, it's kind of hard to kind of go away from it," Rielsaid.

"But knowing that there's fish dying, it's kind of scary."

Still no answers after 4th wave of dead fish

5 years ago

Duration 0:51

Since early July, more than 2,000 dead fish have been found in the area where the Livre River joins the Ottawa River. Sylvain Lamoureux, deputy director of the local ferry service Traversier Bourbonnais says people want answers.

More questions than answers

"The city has not told anybody anything, yet people are still depending on this water," said Guillaume Carle, who owns several properties along the Ottawa River waterfront.

"Something has to happen. They have to put systems in the water to check the water to make sure it's not polluted to kill people or fish."

He said he's noticedhundreds of dead fish over the past month.

"The smell is unbelievable and the amount of fish is unbelievable," he said, adding he's unhappy with the level of communication between the city, the province and residents.

"The city, the province, [have]a moral responsibility to tell the people that are here, 'Don't touch this water until we fix it,'" Carle said.

Residents who find any dead fish are asked to pick them up using disposable gloves, put them in a plastic bag and throw them in the garbage.

Test results expected next week

Necropsies done on the first wave of dead fish suggested a toxic spill was likely to blame, officials from theCentre qubcois sur la sant des animaux sauvagesaid.

• Toxic spill likely killed fish found in Ottawa River, necropsies suggest

There's been no information on what could have caused the latest deaths.

Officials with the province'sMinistry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks said technicians saw the latest wave of deaths and wereable to collect samples from the gills of nearly dead fish.

They hope an analysis of the gills will provide more insight into what is causing the deaths.

Public health officials in the Outaouais are warning people not to drink river water or eat fish in areas with obvious pollution or where fishare founddead. They're also suggesting people swim in areas where the water is regularly tested and avoid areas where there's an abnormal colour or odour.