Cold weather caused a large number of fish deaths for Cooke Aquaculture in Nova Scotia last week. Three aquaculture sites are reporting fish mortalities from extreme cold water temperatures -the Port Wade aquaculture sites in the Annapolis Basin, Shelburne Harbour and Jordan Bay.

\"A department fish health veterinarian has visited the sites in Port Wade and Shelburne and will visit the Jordan Bay site in the next few days to investigate the expected cause of death,\" said Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Keith Colwell. \"Our provincial fish health veterinarians investigate mortality events to rule out diseases of concern.\"

A preliminary investigation found that a superchill happened.

Cooke Aquaculture spokesperson Nell Halse said the company was still determining the scope of the loss, which was significant enough to see a vessel called in from another area to assist.

Halse said despite the “higher than normal mortality” the majority of their fish remained in good health and would soon reach harvest size. She also noted that water temperatures had begun to rise in the region.

[Source: Greg Bennett, The Coast Guard, Truro Daily News. Full story]