Bruce Power aware of dead Gizzard Shad along shoreline of Lake Huron

With the spring ice melt well under way, Bruce Power is aware of many dead fish along the shoreline of Lake Huron.

In a press release, issued Friday, the company states that the fish are Gizzard Shad, a species that lives along the shores of big lakes, bays, and larger rivers. These fish are documented to be sensitive to prolonged cold in the natural lake environment and to changes in water temperature, which can result in a physiological cold shock response, leading to large population level die-offs in cold winters.

Gizzard Shad are attracted to the warm water refuge provided by Bruce Power’s thermal discharge and as previously communicated, Bruce Power proactively removed Unit 2 from service in February due to a high volume of Gizzard Shad in the Bruce A intake channel. A large number was entrapped and died as a result, and has been removed from the intake channel.

Bruce Power continues to investigate possible factors that could have contributed to this event, including Gizzard Shad sensitivities to cold lake temperatures.

Gizzard Shad have been reported along the shoreline as far north as the Sauble River and as far south as Goderich, indicating this could be a population level event. Large numbers have been observed in Lake Huron including around Bruce Power; this is likely due to their high rate of reproduction and warmer lake water temperatures in the past couple of years.

Bruce Power is also aware of the presence of dead waterfowl in Baie du Dore, north of the Bruce Power site.

The company is working with wildlife authorities to determine the cause and asks the public to please avoid contact with any of the deceased wildlife, to allow experts to investigate further. Waterfowl have been sent for lab testing to check for conditions, including botulism or avian flu.

The Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry are aware of this die-off and Bruce Power continues to engage with Indigenous Nations and local municipalities, as well as regulators which include Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.