JULY 11, 2012

Golden alga causes fish die-off on Salt River

Thousands of fish are dead on a 20-mile stretch of the Salt River, where it flows into the east side of Roosevelt Lake.  The Arizona Game and Fish Department began receiving reports of dead fish from the public on Wednesday, July 4, and department officers confirmed the fish die-off. A response team took water samples and collected dead fish on Thursday, and this morning’s lab tests revealed high concentrations of Golden alga believed to be the cause of the die-off.

Golden alga can produce a toxin that impacts the gills of fish and causes them to suffocate. Golden alga was first reported to cause extensive fish-kills in the 1930’s and has been found in California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and at least a dozen other states. Biologists have not yet determined if Golden alga occurs naturally in Arizona, but it has been identified in more than 20 lakes statewide since 2003.

Despite extensive research, biologists do not yet know exactly what causes Golden alga to produce the toxin that is fatal to fish, crayfish, mussels, and all gill-breathing creatures. However, experts have noted a connection between extended drought, elevated salinity in waterways, and fish-kills caused by the toxins in Golden alga.

“We believe that drought conditions and increased salinity may create an environment where Golden alga can thrive,” said Kirk Young, a fisheries biologist with Game and Fish. “Golden alga is found most often in waters with especially high salinity.”

The Salt River takes its name from the salt springs that are found upstream and responsible for the water’s high salinity in periods of low flows, Young said. The salinity in the Salt River is more than three times the concentration currently found in Roosevelt Lake.

Biologists do not believe that the Golden alga problem will extend into Roosevelt Lake in the near future, primarily because the high salinity and algae concentrations found in the inflow water from the Salt River are diluted when mixed with water already in the lake, and it becomes less than toxic to fish.

Game and Fish will continue to investigate the situation and monitor waterways along the Salt River, including Apache, Canyon and Saguaro lakes where Golden alga is believed to still exist, but currently in low concentrations. Small systems such as urban ponds can be treated to eliminate Golden alga, but there currently exists no way to treat large system reservoirs or rivers.

Game and Fish will continue to investigate the situation and monitor waterways along the Salt River, including Apache, Canyon and Saguaro lakes.

However, if drought conditions persist, downstream reservoirs could be at risk in the future.  To date, no adverse health impacts have been noted for humans or non-gill-breathing wildlife that have come in contact with waters experiencing a Golden alga toxin bloom. The die-off has included species such as catfish, carp, bluegill, red shiner, largemouth bass, buffalo fish and crayfish.

Game and Fish advises the public not to eat any dead or dying fish they find anywhere regardless of the cause. However, people can continue to eat the fish they catch, as long as the fish are properly cleaned and thoroughly cooked.

JULY 11, 2012

Buck Springs Volunteer Work Project - July 14-15

Get out of the heat and enjoy the Mogollon Rim area near Clint’s Wells, while restoring and improving wildlife habitat.

PHOENIX – July 14-15 is the weekend for the Arizona Elk Society Buck Springs volunteer work project.

Buck Springs, which is in the Coconino National Forest north of Payson, is a unique place with very high value for wildlife.  The area is home to a great elk population as well as turkeys, bears, songbirds, native fish and a host of other important wildlife species. One of the keys to making a good place into a great place for wildlife and wildlife enthusiasts is helping to restore the function of the wet meadows that are so important to wildlife. At one time, these meadows acted like giant sponges and stored moisture, slowly leaking the water into the creeks, maintaining the riparian community.  Many of these meadows and the associated riparian areas are overrun with young pine trees that are invading these meadows.

Unless removed, in time, the meadows will be entirely overrun with pines and the water storage role for the meadows will be lost.  In a cooperative venture, volunteers from the Arizona Elk Society, the Forest Service, and Game and Fish will cut these trees down, lop the limbs off, and stack them into piles so they can be burned when dried.  There are thousands of trees to remove and the more help we get, the more that can be done.  As a result of removing these trees, the meadows will be more open again and the ecological function of the meadows improved.  If you enjoy time in the forest, here is a chance to give something back and make the forest a healthier place for wildlife and for your next visit.

The Arizona Elk Society will provide meals on Friday evening, all day Sat, and Sunday breakfast and lunch.  If fishing and wildlife viewing is your thing this is the area to do it.  If you would like to carpool please let us know. We need 60-80 volunteers in camp for this weekend work project event.  Go to www.arizonaelksociety.org for full project details.  Please sign up online, www.arizonaelksociety.org or RSVP to Tom Schorr (tomschorr@arizonaelksociety.org) if you can attend the event.  They need an accurate count for food for the weekend.

Arizona’s abundant elk herds roam the mountains from Grand Canyon to the San Francisco Peaks and across the Mogollon Rim to the White Mountains.  The Arizona Elk Society is committed to restoring the habitat that elk and host of other wildlife species depend on to survive and hopefully flourish. The AES is also very active in efforts for youth and adult hunter recruitment and retention, youth conservation education programs, and representing conservationists who value sustained use of wildlife and the hunting heritage. To do this, the AES represents its members and supporters throughout the state on issues ranging from forest health, access to public and private lands, responsible wildlife management, and many other conservation issues important to sportsmen.  The AES meets these components of our Mission Statement with active support and involvement of local, regional, and national conservation organizations and agencies.  For more information and to join the Arizona Elk Society, visit us at www.arizonaelksociety.org.