The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-07-18
Lack of Oxygen Cause of
Death of BattenkiU Trout

s. b. Hawks, superintendent OF thel
fish hatchery at Bennington, has writ
ten an interesting letter to the Ben
nington Banner giving his belief as tol
the cause of the recent heavy mortality |
Of trout in the BattenkilI river. He
says:
There is no question in my mind that
the trout in the Battenkill died be
cause of an insufficient supply of oXy-
gen in the water and for this belief /
have the following reasons:
l lave been registering the tempera
ture OF the water in the Battenkill
river during the last five years and II
find that during the recent heated pc
Rod ii was ten degrees higher than DUR
in the summer five years ago, change
undoubtedly due to the denudation OF
forest land resulting in higher water in
the spring, lower water in the summer
and a consequent higher temperature I'M
extremely warm weather.
1t Is a recognized fact that warm wa
ter viii throw off oxygen more rapidly
| than cold water and that any foreign
or organic matter will absorb oXygenI
| from the water. As the water in the
Battenkill at the time the fish were dy-
| ing was the lowest and the warmest|
| (nearly 20 degrees within my memory,
| and as more waste such as marble dust ;,
| sawdust and shayings, as well as do
! meStIc sewage, was being permitted to-
| ind its way into the stream, there
must have been but little oxygen left in
| the water.
| At the time the dead fish were being
! reported | went to Arlington at the re-
| quest of officials of the Arlington Fish
and Game club, TO make an nvestiga-
| ton, and as far Is | was able to learn
not a single brook trout or sucker had
! I,,r, Tho dead fish Tn IN
mind this circumstance is sufficient eVI-
| dcnce that the mortality Is not due to
| disease. Native trout are more suscep-
| tible to disease than the other variety
| found IN the stream and from my
| knowledge Of the habits of the brook
and brown trout, | am convinced that
! the brook trout either assembled the
! small spring brooks or sought safety IN
| the EceD spring holes in the bottom OF
the stream, while the brown fish neg
| leCted to leave the deep still holes I'M
! til it was too late.
| Had any poisonous substance found
its way into the stream it would have
killed the brook trout and suckers as
! well as the brown trout. All OF the
dead fish discovered were large brown
trout weighing from one to four pounds.
] \ large fish REQUIRES more oxygen to
| keep alive than Il small one, fact that
| | consider another argument in favor OF
my contention that lack of oxygen was
, responsible for the deplorable condl-
| ton.
At the mill at West Arlington where
nearly all of the dead brown trout were
/ found. the water was not running over
/ the dam at the time I visited the
stream. \ lot of the water was being
taken through the flume to the wheel.
: | was informed that only s. fish had
I been taken from the grating at the head
Of the tume. which would indicate that
/ the mortality was not so large as was
rumored at the time.
! According to reports made to me
/ there has not been a single dead fish
/ found i'm the river since the heavy rain
which followed the long dry spell, a
| fact. I believe, which goes far to prove
my claim that an absence OF oxygen was
responsible.
Just a word in regard to the pollution
which has already ruined some of the
/ BEST trout streams in the state. be
/ lieve | am safe in saying that more pol
! luton has been created in our rivers
and brooks during the last hVe years
j than during the score of years proceed
| ing and it is evident that unless some
| corrective measures are adopted in the
| near future we are going to pass on to
| coming generations streams that are
| not only devoid of fish life of all kinds
| but streams in condition that VIII
/ menace human life as well.
! When one looks at water on. the sur
| face it Is difficult to realize the deadly
| changes that are taking place in pol
/ Htcd stream but the action Is easily
! detected through the use of chemicals.
| II there Is considerable amount of
| pollution present it may readily be de
+! tected by the nose, as pure water has
/ no odor.
| Personally. I do not attach all the
| responsibility for the pollution of our
r., streams to the mill owners and manu-
B., facturers ass many of them would be
only too willing to dispose of their
| waste in some manner other than per-
! uniting it to pass into rivers and
/ brooks upon which their plants are To-
| Gated, provided some feasible method
| could be devised. | think the DISPOSE
| ton of foreign and deleterious matter
| which is now finding its way into tn
| public waters of the state is a matte
/ that should be taken up at once by the
| fish and game department.