Wildlife experts investigate dead fish in Country Pond

Something is killing dozens of fish in Country Pond in Kingston, N.H., and Newton, N.H.

Yesterday, after receiving reports from residents and Newton police about numerous dead fish and fowl, scientists from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture hit the beaches to collect dead wildlife and test the water.

Resident Bob Ferrara, whose Wilders Grove Road home faces the Newton boat ramp on Country Pond, said his daughter saw 23 dead bass on Thursday night. His son saw a dead duck on the town beach a mile away.

Newton police Chief Larry Streeter said the police took calls Thursday night from residents worried that something toxic was to blame. Officers walked the shoreline and found 30 small bass, two sunfish and five white perch washed up between the boat ramp and the town beach.

Streeter said he called the state Fish and Game Division and was told the same thing was happening all over the state, possibly due to insufficient oxygen in the water due to the heavy load of snow and ice that covered ponds and blocked sunlight.

Scott Decker, fisheries program supervisor for the state Fish and Game Division, said reports of fish kills are typical in the spring.

Although it was too early to say why the fish died, there are some possible causes. Those include spawning, which puts stress on the fish; low oxygen levels in the water; or pollution from agents like blue-green algae, according to Jody Connor, director of the state environmental agency's center, which studies the state's fresh water lakes, ponds and rivers.

Connor said DES investigators will try to determine if the fish died from one of those causes. He said the dead fish had been floating up on the beach for the past two days. Scientists wanted to verify the types of fish that are dying and take water samples to measure oxygen levels.

The report of a dead duck and other dead birds prompted federal officials to dispatch a wildlife biologist to the scene. But wildlife disease biologist Anthony Musante said he was unable to find any dead fowl.

Photos

Residents have found dozens of dead fish along the shores of Country Pond in Newton and Kingston this week. State and federal officials are investigating to see what killed them. Staff photo

Anthony Musante, wildlife disease biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was at the Newton town beach on Country Pond yesterday. Residents have reported finding dozens of dead fish and some birds along the shoreline this week. Staff photo