Dead Fish Found In Newark Lake – But Don’t Blame Wildfire, Expert Says

NEWARK, NJ — Like other Newark residents, Patrice McKinney waited until the air began to clear from last week’s wildfires in Canada before returning to her normal outdoor routine. But when she visited Weequahic Park on Sunday to take a walk near the 80-acre lake that spans the park, she came across something that made her heart skip a beat.

Dead fish.

Last weekend, McKinney, co-owner of the Source of Knowledge bookstore in Newark, shared a video on social media that showed dozens of deceased fish floating atop the water. Some were clustered in clumps among the reeds near the shoreline; others bobbed around freely in the middle of the lake.

Her first thought?

“Wow, these fish are dead because of the smoke storm, and fish need oxygen to breathe – as do I,” McKinney told Patch. “So if that killed the fish, what is happening to us as a people?”

• See Related: Protesters March Against Power Plants In Newark, Kearny
• See Related: Newark Activists Count Truck Traffic, Worry About Air Pollution

It isn’t the first time that dead fish have been spotted in a lake in Essex County. In 2008, more than two dozen fish died at Branch Brook Park due to an overgrowth of bacteria that caused a lack of oxygen in the water.

A spokesperson for Essex County – which manages the park – said the county’s Department of Community Health is investigating the current reports of fish deaths at Weequahic Park in cooperation with the state.

“An initial report received on June 9 indicated healthy levels of oxygen in the lake,” he said, adding that more information will be shared if it becomes available.

Article continues below

It appears that most of the lingering smoke and haze from last week’s wildfires has cleared in Newark – for now. The U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI) in Newark was 36 as of Thursday morning, a level considered “good.” During the peak of the wildfire fallout, the AQI reached as high as 166 in the city, officials reported. An AQI value above 150 is considered “unhealthy” air for the general public to breathe.

• See Related: Air Hits 'Unhealthy' Level In Newark Due To Wildfire Smoke (Update)
• See Related: Newark Hands Out Free Masks As Canada Wildfire Smoke Lingers

However, more smoke from the Canadian wildfires is expected to return to the area late Thursday into Friday, the National Weather Service recently tweeted. The good news? Forecasts show that the vast majority of the smoke will remain aloft.

• See Related: Canada Wildfire Smoke In NJ: Expert Answers Common Questions (VIDEO)

Meanwhile, some Newark residents, like McKinney, remain cautious about the wildfires’ effect on the local environment – and for good reason.

It’s well-documented that severe wildfires can cause mass deaths of fish. For example, a destructive fire that took place in California last year was linked to a devastating fish kill along 50 miles of the Klamath River. Debris from the fire was a suspected cause, reports said.

But according to Gareth Russell, an associate professor of biological sciences at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), while fires do cause fish mortality, it’s almost always when ash on the ground at the fire location washes into streams in large quantities.

“I wasn’t able to find any examples of short-term airborne deposition causing kills,” Russell said when asked to comment on the dead fish spotted at Weequahic Park after last week’s air quality alerts.

“In mortality events like this, it’s impossible to be sure about the cause without an autopsy and other direct investigation,” Russell continued. “However, the ash from the Canadian wildfires is unlikely to be the main culprit.”

Russell added:

“While it is tempting to look for a new villain, fish kills like this are not uncommon in human-dominated landscapes, and are usually caused by changes in temperature or oxygen levels. Those are more likely hypotheses for what happened here. Before the wildfire smoke, we had a run of dry weather which lowered water levels, dried up streams, etc. across the state, and likely raised water temperatures. Warmer water holds less oxygen, and is also more prone to algal blooms. Those in turn can be directly toxic, or simply further reduce oxygen when they decompose. Once rains do come, another common culprit is runoff from nearby areas which can carry lawn and other fertilizers — urban water bodies like the one in Weequahic Park are especially vulnerable.”

According to Russell, some of these problems can be mitigated by better management of urban landscapes, such as providing wild areas with native plants, especially near bodies of water. This can slow runoff and help absorb excess nutrients, he said.

“Another benefit, among many, is that plants – especially trees and large bushes – trap particles and help clean the air … which brings us back to the smoke,” Russell said, adding that it’s one of the topics that are being explored at the Urban Ecology Lab at NJIT.

• See Related: Thousands Of Dead Fish Found In NJ 'A Natural Phenomenon,' Activist Says
• See Related: Thousands Of Fish Died In Middlesex Co. Lake Due To Main Break
• See Related: Bacteria To Blame For Hundreds Of Dead Fish In Monmouth, NJ Says

CAUSES OF FISH KILLS

Wildfires aren’t the only thing that has been linked to mass deaths of fish, experts say.

According to the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife agency, fish kills can be related to a number of causes, including infectious diseases, toxic substances, or suboptimal environmental conditions. Fish kills most commonly occur in the spring and summer when water temperatures are rising.

If a fish kill is observed it should be reported immediately to the 24/7 DEP Hotline at 877-WARN-DEP (877-927-6337), the agency says.

There are several important observations to make when reporting a fish kill, officials add:

• What is the approximate number of dead fish?
• Is it only one species of fish that is dying or are there a number of different species affected?
• Is there an unusual color or odor to the water?
• Are there any other dead organisms (i.e. amphibians, reptiles, insects, or plant life) present?

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page.