Still no answers on fish kill's cause: DNR official says recovery in Rock River will take years
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| Illinois Department of Natural Resources biologist Dan Sallee speaks Saturday at Kodiak Outdoor Sports in Dixon. (Philip Marruffo/pmarruffo@svnmail.com) |
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DIXON – A massive fish kill along the Rock River on Father’s Day weekend decreased the number of flathead catfish by an estimated 87 percent, a Department of Natural Resources official said Saturday.
It could be some time before the river is fully restocked.
The staggering effect of the kill has left many local anglers wondering what the future holds for fishing on the Rock.
A crowd of about 50 fishing enthusiasts packed Kodiak Outdoor Sports in Dixon on Saturday to seek answers.
The question on everyone’s mind was, just what killed the fish? A June 19 train derailment and subsequent ethanol spill in Rockford still is suspected.
While ethanol is not extremely toxic, it can suck oxygen out of the water and cause fish to suffocate, DNR Regional Fish Biologist Dan Sallee said.
Sallee would not comment directly on the kill’s source, saying his agency has “deferred prosecution of the railroad to the attorney general’s office.”
The city will host the Cabela’s King Cat catfish tournament June 12. People who attended Saturday’s event were concerned about the number of trophy catfish left in the water.
Larry Kirchner, chairman of the Illinois Carp Anglers Group, is planning a 2-day carp fishing tournament Aug. 28-29 along the Rock River. He showed up Saturday to learn about the source of the fish kill and what effect it could have on the tournament.
“Obviously I would have liked more answers, but there seems to be a genuine concern by the state office that is shared by the local anglers to help correct [the kill] and replenish the river,” Kirchner said.
Nancy Wheeler, 50, of Mount Morris, wanted more answers.
“There were a lot of ‘ifs’ and ‘maybes,’” she said. “They really didn’t talk about what they are doing to replenish the river. I’d like to see them do something.”
Sallee shared their concerns.
“It was awful, absolutely awful,” Sallee said. “I don’t know if there’s ever been a kill like this.”
The fish kill expanded about 54 miles, starting 2 miles north of the state Route 2 bridge at Grand Detour to 5 miles south of Prophetstown State Park.
In all, the DNR estimates 77,372 fish with an estimated value of $272,303 were killed. Of those, 36,339 catfish were killed, at a value of $43,349.
Some suspect that number is higher.
The good news, Sallee said, is that every species of fish that existed before the kill was present in the survey.
This fall, Sallee took a survey of flathead catfish in Dixon, Sterling, Como and Erie. Between 2006 and 2009, there was an 87 percent decrease in Dixon; a 33 percent decrease in Sterling; and a 49 percent decrease in Como.
Erie actually saw a 16 percent increase in the flathead catfish population. Sallee said that may be due to catfish moving downstream to avoid the toxin that caused the kill upstream.
So far, the DNR has put about 4,000 channel catfish, 3,000 pike, 50,000 smallmouth bass, and 164,674 walleye into the river.
It will take the fish about 3 years to reach maturation, Sallee said. The hatchery catfish will have to grow to 15 or 16 inches before they can fill the void left by the kill.
Sallee said he would like to put another 10,000 pounds of catfish back into the water this year. The catfish would come from commercial fishermen on the Mississippi River.
It could take 8 years to fully stock the river, he added.
