Fish kill a mystery: Thousands of fish wash up on banks of Rock River

Bobby Bushman of Sterling pulls a catfish out of the water Sunday at the Arduini boat ramp in Rock Falls. A massive fish kill has swept through the Rock River, killing thousands of mostly bottom-feeding species. (Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@svnmail.com)

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The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has issued an advisory warning the public not to eat fish caught on the Rock River between Grand Detour, north of Dixon in Ogle County, and the lower dam in Sterling, in Whiteside County.

» Video: Locals watch as fish wash up on banks of the Rock River.

A fish kill has been reported along that stretch of the river, and the cause is unknown.

“There’s speculation that the runoff from the derailment in Rockford area of the ethanol got into the Kishwaukee River which flows into the Rock River,” Sgt. Carl Lewis of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources explained to WQAD-TV. “We won’t know until we get the water samples back and determine what is in the water.”

The IDNR is working with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to investigate the matter.

The Department of Natural Resources advises against eating fish from that section of the river until the cause has been determined.



For more information, visit www.dnr.state.il.us on the Web.