Two communities along the west shore of Lake Winnipeg were blighted by a severe algal bloom and dead fish last week.
Winnipeg Beach was inundated with a thick, foul algal bloom that not only swept up along the beachfront, but also entered the marina.
There were also scores of dead fish floating within the algal bloom.
Winnipeg Beach resident Gayle Halliwell said she noticed the bloom over the course of roughly three days, starting Sept. 26. When she went down to the beach, she found green waves and slime coating the shoreline and rocks.
“The beach area is just covered with algae,” said Halliwell, who spoke with the Express on Sept. 28. “Everybody out here is talking about it. It looks to be the blue-green algae, which is said to be more toxic than green algae.”
On the same day, Halliwell said she was at the Winnipeg Beach marina and found it covered with algae. There were also lots of dead fish floating within the bloom.
“The water in the harbour is low right now and as I was coming across the ramp, I saw all these dead fish. I called my husband and said, ‘There’s dead fish all over the place,’” she said. “Most of the fish are small but there are also larger dead fish floating around in the algae.”
Halliwell said her husband reported the bloom and dead fish to the provincial government’s Environment and Climate department office in Gimli (called Water Stewardship), and he was told there was also a report of algae that had come in a day prior from north of Gimli.
Town of Winnipeg mayor Pam Jackson said she and council are very concerned about the algal bloom and are actively engaged with various environmental organizations, including the East Interlake Watershed District and the Red River Basin Commission.
“The solutions for Lake Winnipeg far outreach the Town of Winnipeg Beach. The watershed of Lake Winnipeg is an area that expands over four Canadian provinces, four American states and spans over one million square kilometers. Given this, it is critically important that both the provincial and federal governments make the health of Lake Winnipeg a priority,” said Jackson. “I would encourage everyone who is concerned about the algal bloom to contact their federal and provincial leaders and representatives to make their concern known and to pressure our government leaders to take action on this serious issue.”
She added that restrictions in place with the upcoming elections precludes the town from scheduling meetings with cabinet ministers on water quality and the health of Lake Winnipeg.
A spokesperson for the provincial department of Environment and Climate said staff visited Winnipeg Beach on Sept. 29 to collect algae samples and gather more information about the fish kill.
“At the time of the inspection on Friday morning, the algae bloom had disappeared and no dead fish were observed. No further action is planned at this time,” said the spokesperson.
Fish kills have different causes, he said, including natural mortality, low oxygen, disease and toxicity. Without additional information on the dead fish, the department can’t speculate on the cause of this die-off. And the department will not be cleaning up dead fish.
“Dead fish will not be removed from the shoreline. With wind and wave action, fish will be naturally returned to the lake and can also serve as a food source for natural scavengers,” he said.
Warm and calm weather, coupled with relatively high nutrient loads, provide ideal conditions for algal blooms to develop in lakes, the spokesperson added.
“Work continues across Manitoba to reduce excess nutrient loading that contributes to algal blooms,” he said.
Information about the province’s actions can be found online in its Water Management Strategy.
On Saturday Sept. 30, Gimli residents were dismayed to find their harbour inundated with algae.
A Gimli resident posted on social media that he could also see dead fish in the harbour. He wrote that it’s “very disturbing” and is wondering what the authorities are doing about it.
Another Gimli resident shared photos with the Express, showing a “super nasty” and smelly algal bloom carpeting the harbour and engulfing the boats.
Fish kills can be reported to Manitoba Conservation’s 24-hour emergency response line at 1-204-944-4888. Algal blooms can be reported at www.manitoba.ca/beaches
Express photos by Gayle Halliwell and Cheryl Buhler
