Rivers that were well known for their fishing are now closed. Summer students hired for stream restoration work are now spending time picking up dead fish. This is nothing new to P.E.I. Fish kills are becoming an annual event with this year being already the worst on record. The report is the work of 16 Islanders tasked with solving some of the Island's most pressing land use issues. Public concern about land use practices has increased recently because of the rapid expansion of the potato industry, increased soil erosion, woodland clearcutting and increased pesticide use.
Water flowing downhill carries with it an echo from the land it drains.
Exposed soil means soil erosion and chemical spray means water-borne toxins. The health of the land surrounding a river has a direct reflection on the health of the river and our Island streams are telling us that the land is not at all healthy. Potato production has almost doubled in the past 10 years and farmers are slow to implement soil conservation practices. Most of it ends up in P.E.I. streams carrying with it chemicals used to control potato disease and insect pests. Most Island rivers run red after a heavy rain and take days to clear up.