Monday, September 8, 2014

Belly Up

 
Over the last few years, Osoyoos Lake has been stocked with salmon. Apparently it has been a success as we witnessed almost daily the fishermen, a few hundred yards off our beach, hooting and hollering as they reeled in another one.
Unfortunately, the lake temperature is rather on the warm side and these fish get quite stressed as the this happens.
Every morning there were three or four of these otherwise healthy looking fish, about 14 inches long, floating dead on the beach. One could always see a half dozen off shore as well. The inland seagulls were overwhelmed and something they would usually relish, became too much of a good thing. They got picky and plucked the eyes out only, leaving the carcass to drift to shore. I buried many of them under the trees and every one was sightless, so to speak. Too bad, really, because they looked good enough to throw on the BBQ.

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