Fish not biting ‘like they used to’ in Lac-Mégantic 10 years after rail disaster

Some Quebec anglers say they're seeing fewer fish, and their catches are increasingly adult fish — a sign that fewer are being born.

Pierre Grenier says that ever since the 2013 train derailment in Lac-Mégantic, Que. spilled 100,000 litres of crude oil into the Chaudière River, fishing hasn’t been the same.

Anglers like him are catching fewer fish, and their catches are increasingly adult fish — a sign that fewer fish are being born. The fish, Grenier said, “don’t bite like they used to.”

Experts with Quebec’s Environment Department will be deployed in the coming weeks to study the river’s rehabilitation since a runaway train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded 10 years ago, killing 47 people and destroying parts of downtown. The department says it will analyze the levels of hydrocarbons in river sediments, the health of animals that live on the riverbed and the overall state of fish populations.

Grenier, president of Lac-Mégantic’s association of hunters and anglers, says his group has helped the province maintain the health of the region’s fish stocks by introducing new species into Lake Mégantic, which feeds the Chaudière River. But, he said, stocking the lake hasn’t had the desired effect.

“We stocked brown trout four years after the disaster, but anglers aren’t catching them,” he said. “Is the water suitable for the feeding and reproduction of fish? If it’s contaminated, we need to know.”

Grenier pointed to the location of the spill, where the lake drains into the river.

“Right here, the water was full of oil, and it was flowing down into the Chaudière River. Have any toxins remained throughout the lake?” he asked, adding that he hopes the upcoming Environment Department studies will answer that question.

In 2015, a summary report from the Environment Department concluded fish caught at multiple stations along the river showed more deformities and other anomalies than in any other river in the province.