On May 10th, a volunteer group of concerned sportsmen led by Jason Simpson of Southampton spent about four hours rescuing almost 60 rainbow trout that were caught up in the Clarendon creek and culverts.
Among the volunteers was Councilor Dave Myette who said that hundreds of the fish swam up the creek during their spring spawning run, but were trapped when water levels dropped.
Unlike salmon, rainbow trout can spawn over and over … if they are able to return to the Lake.
A requisite one-day permit was required from the Ministry of Natural Resources & Fisheries (MNRF) and, by the time it was received and the crew had organized, many of the fish had already succumbed to the stressful conditions.
The volunteers trolled the creek and culverts trying to save as many as possible. Several were still healthy enough to be transferred in coolers back to the Saugeen River but many others did not survive.
