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DEQ and VDGIF Prepare for 2008 Fish Kills and Fish Health Issues

The Virginia Departments of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Game & Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) are directing a number of scientific studies and surveillance programs in the western portion of Virginia as the spring "fish kill season" approaches. Unexplained fish kills and episodes of fish with sores and lesions have occurred each of the last 4 springs in the Shenandoah River System. Last year, similar events also occurred in the upper James and Cowpasture Rivers. The character of these fish kills is unusual, with problems being found mainly in smallmouth bass and sunfish and mostly in adults of those species. Slow fish die-offs have begun in early April and continued through May in these waters. Despite the efforts of many fish health and water chemistry experts, the causes of the fish kills remain unknown.

Studies by state and federal scientists and several university researchers during these fish kills have focused on water chemistry and health of fish and other aquatic life. Water quality studies to date have targeted nutrients and ammonia, but have not identified any individual chemicals at levels that would be expected to cause the fish kills. Fish health findings suggest that multiple stressors may be involved, since the symptoms don't clearly indicate any single cause. Fish health and disease experts with the US Geological Survey and the US Fish & Wildlife Service have found gill, liver, and kidney damage, high numbers of parasites, and signs of bacterial infection, but have been unable to identify the stresses that caused these problems. Passive samplers, which measure trace organics, pesticides, and some pharmaceutical compounds, were deployed at a number of sites in these rivers in 2007. Chemicals found from this effort were indicative of what one would expect from an agricultural area, but no compounds stood out as likely causes of the fish kills.

Since 2004, state agencies and their partners have led multiple investigations into these fish kills. In 2005 the DEQ and DGIF formed the Shenandoah River Fish Kill Task Force, an open group of stakeholders, including university and government scientists, environmental groups, fishing guides, and volunteer monitors. This group identified a list of theories on possible causes of the fish kills and methodically developed studies to test those theories. In 2007, DEQ contracted with fisheries experts Drs. Greg Garman of VCU and Don Orth of VA Tech to lead a Research Advisory Committee (RAC) of experts in chemistry, water quality, toxicology, soils science, and agriculture. The RAC serves as an independent advisory panel to DEQ and has recently completed a recommended work plan for 2008. Based on recommendation from the RAC and the Fish Kill Task Force, DEQ and DGIF have prioritized available funds and are coordinating a number of investigations.

Studies in 2008 emphasize additional reference, or non-fish kill, sites, expanded water quality chemical lists with a focus on storm flows, and multiple fish health metrics. Sampling will be occurring on the North and South Forks of the Shenandoah, the Cowpasture and James Rivers, and at reference sites on the Rappahannock, New, and Holston Rivers. Similar studies are also taking place in West Virginia on the South Branch of the Potomac, Greenbrier, and Cheat Rivers.

Scheduled projects and lead investigators include:

• Expanded fish health study to evaluate organs, blood chemistry, parasites, tissue contaminants - Virginia Tech and US Geological Service.
• Watershed and fish kill contaminant profile - Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
• Measuring pesticides, organic compounds, and heavy metals in storm runoff - James Madison University.
• Measuring organic compounds in the river during spring time period using passive samplers, devices which allow measurement of chemicals that are normally not detectable using conventional methods - DEQ and USGS.
• Biweekly analysis of heavy metal concentrations in the rivers during the spring time period - DEQ
• Fish kill and fish behavior surveillance by volunteer citizen monitors - Fish Kill Task Force, state agencies, citizens.
• DEQ and DGIF investigators also are participating in a coordinated study with US Geological Survey (USGS), USEPA, and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection on additional fish health studies at several sites within the Potomac River Watershed.