"Eat Fish Now!" Fish advisory lifted for Pymatuning Lake

The recent "Do Not Eat" advisory for Pymatuning and other area lakes, which was issued by the Pennsylvania departments of Environmental Protection and Health, has been lifted.

Officials at the Fish and Boat Commission and at Cornell University have concluded the cause of the fish kill was a natural bacteria. The bacterium "Columnaris" was triggered by a combination of natural stresses. Primarily the rapid temperature changes and unusually warm weather this Spring combined with the spawning season.

From PR News: "The commonwealth's Interagency Fish Consumption Advisory Technical Workgroup verified the findings.

DEP also tested water quality and fish tissue samples. The preliminary results show no contaminants of concern for persons who consume fish from the lakes or for downstream water supplies."

I have lived in the Linesville area for over twenty years. It would have been a total shock to me if it had been anything other than natural causes. Pymatuning Lake is a beautiful clean, recreational body of water.

This Spring was very much out of the ordinary. Much warmer than usual and a lot more sunshine than the North Western Pennsylvania Springtime's I have experienced here.

It is really good news to have is confirmed that our lake is still in its usual clean, healthy, fishable condition.