2 years later

The lake is beautiful and healthy. Frogs, frogs, frogs... what an indicator of lake health.

Frogs!

We are hearing frogs close by - for the first time since the perch population exploded on the lake. What a privilege to fall asleep to that croaking din. A few weeks ago there was perhaps one or two -- but now I am hearing multiple frogs. Back in the early 1990s when we first moved to the lake the din was deafening - so loud I felt some nights I needed ear protection.

Then, when the perch took over, the lake was silent.

I was talking to a neighbour on the weekend at the park clean-up; he says he's noticing more insect life on the lake too. Like me, he was very concerned when the idea of rotenone first came up. He monitored the situation at Skmana Lake after the treatment there and saw that it seeemed successful, so became more supportive of the rotenone for Gardom. With the frogs and insects back, he is hopeful that the lake will return to the more balanced ecosystem we had back in the early 1990's.

In the meantime - I will enjoy hearing the frogs each night.

Spring!

The lake melted early this year - March 24, the earliest I've seen the ice off since moving here in early 1988. It was a low snow winter, and mild - both undoubtedly making a difference.

The lake was stocked with trout by BC Fisheries in the last few days, and opened for fishing yesterday. So far I've not seen any anglers. Waterfowl that I've heard so far this spring include mallards, goldeneye, mergansers, as well as a loon calling, and - just the other day - some red necked grebes. And - of course - it goes without saying that Canada geese are as usual on the lake, nesting raucously on the islands.

So far I've not heard any frogs. It will probably be awhile - maybe a few years - before the lake reestablishes some of the communities that were on the lake before the perch and bass invaded. BC Ministry of Environment is asking for volunteers to survey amphibians along the shoreline.

Business as Usual?

If a person hadn't known that the lake had been treated with rotenone, you might not have suspected, based on the waterfowl that are stopping by. There have been lots of coots, mallards, and geese the last while. Just no fish jumping...

Two weeks later

I have heard lots of rumours about the rotenone process. The wildest one was a statement in a local newspaper column that most of the fish that floated to the top were scooped up, frozen and will be fed to the eagles next year. I wonder how many will believe that one? The same author wrote that the lake will be restocked in 2012; I guess he never checked with the Ministry people who are planning to restock in the spring of 2010.

The aroma of dead fish decomposing is noticeable at times, although much less than I had anticipated. If a person had not known what had happened two weeks ago, you would likely not have guessed. The sounds of geese, coots and other waterfowl are still present. Along the shoreline I see a few dead perch in the shallows.

I have heard of no sightings of live fish. I was talking to a neighbour today who told me he had a huge goldfish - shaped almost like an orange football - wash ashore at his place. Another neighbour told me that the scientists told him that they will probably not know whether this project was successful in eradicating all the perch and bass for about five years.

Here's a photo of the beautiful fall day that we had today.

A Surreal Experience

A few people have asked me what the rotenone process was like, and I could only answer "weird" and "surreal". Boats crewed by people wearing haz-mat suits and respirators, driving back and forth spreading a toxic substance, followed by scores of floating dead fish.... and then the eerie stillness hanging over the lake.

However, the waterfowl seem to be back now. The Canada Geese are still hanging around, and some ducks. Today there were mergansers on a log just off our place, and some mallards swimming around. I have not seen any more evidence of goldfish, so hopefully they were all killed in the end.

The lake was open for public boating yesterday, but it was crispy in the morning (-8C) so I did not see anyone out.

I was expecting to see a lot of dead fish washed up on our shore, as the southerly winds blow everything on the lake this way. I've been surprised at how few fish there are, and the lack of fishy smell. There is one big dead bass floating near our dock and it is starting to decompose and smells a bit, but otherwise, almost all the fish have sunk to the lake bottom.

With the cold night temperatures I am sure it is making it challenging to keep water lines open for people who have had water delivered to them while the rotenone process happens.

I will post more info as I learn it.

Are all the fish gone?

Yesterday Ministry of Environment staff stopped by to take samples from our well for their monitoring program. We talked about my sighting of a goldfish. They too had seen some goldfish in the lake - not doing too well, swimming near the surface, taking gulps of air. They are satisfied that they have got all the perch and bass, but they realize they might not have eradicated all the goldfish. They have been netting goldfish when they find them, and there is still a chance that those still alive will die.

Apparently because goldfish can take gulps of air this makes them more resistant to the rotenone. I had not realized that the goldfish might not all be killed. MoE apparently is not so concerned about goldfish impacts on the Fraser sockeye - perch and bass were their priority. However, I think the goldfish have been having an impact on Gardom and the ecosystem here.

Another interesting tidbit - I heard indirectly that a deep hole was found in the lake of almost 100 feet. Previously the deepest spot was thought to be 80 feet.