With N.S. brooks and streams drying up from drought, some fish are struggling
The drought in Nova Scotia is causing some brooks and streams to dry up, causing problems for some fish species, but the woods ban in parts of the province is making it difficult to understand the full scope of the problem.
In Cambridge, Kings County, the Rockford Brook usually connects to the Cornwallis River, but parts of the stream have dried up, leaving schools of trout and white suckers unable to reach their usual destinations. And in one deeper spot, water levels have dropped, turning the brook into an isolated pool of water.
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Fen Boates-Bishop, a volunteer with the Jijuktu'kwejk Watershed Alliance, said this sometimes happens for a few days each summer, but the fish here have been isolated for over two months.
"There's a lack of oxygen, there can be a lack of food and competition for food and space in these pools, and that just leads to general stress for the fish and that could be harmful for them," he said.
And while he has seen this happen in other brooks that are outside wooded areas or on private properties, he can't know for sure how many tributaries in the watershed have been affected, because he can't access them without risking a fine of up to $25,000.
Data from the Canadian Drought Monitor shows that most of the province is experiencing a moderate drought. (Canadian Drought Monitor)
Kings County is one of the 11 counties where the woods ban remains in place.
Blistering temperatures earlier this summer meant water temperatures warmed to over 20 C, which was bad for the trout and white suckers' health, said Boates-Bishop.
But for some species, warmer waters are less problematic, said Boates-Bishop. He said invasive species like chain pickerel adapt more easily to warmer waters, giving them an advantage over native fish.
Commercial fisherman Darren Porter says eels can handle lower water levels well.
"Eels ... can breathe through their skin if they're damp and move up and down systems to find safer spots," he said.
While rain is needed to restore water levels, Porter encourages people to think about how they use water in their homes or their farms.
Fen Boates-Bishop with the Jijuktu'kwejk Watershed Alliance says fish that are trapped are vulnerable to a lack of oxygen. (Giuliana Grillo de Lambarri/CBC)
"If we're using the water, the fish don't have it," he said.
Rachel Walsh, aquatic program manager for Clean Annapolis River Project, said her group is quite concerned about Atlantic salmon.
"For adults returning from the ocean, drought creates barriers to migration," she wrote in an email. "Low water and dry stream beds can block their passage to spawning grounds. Even if they do reach spawning areas, stressful conditions can reduce reproductive success."
And while the group usually carries out projects to improve water flow and the habitability of spawning areas, that work has now stopped.
"However, with the current weather, woods ban and large forest fire in our region, we haven't been able to conduct any restoration work this summer," she said.
Thumbnail courtesy of Giuliana Grillo de Lambarri/CBC.
The story was originally written by Giuliana Grillo de Lambarri and published for CBC News.