Nearly 400 trout died at Vancouver Island University's Nanaimo campus after a series of mechanical and human errors. (File photo)

By Spencer Sterritt

belly up

Human, mechanical errors kill hundreds of trout at VIU’s Nanaimo campus

Jan 7, 2020 | 2:24 AM

NANAIMO — A series of errors at a VIU facility led to the deaths of nearly 400 fish.

A cascading series of human and mechanical errors happened in the external trout facility at VIU’s Nanaimo campus on Dec. 5, killing 377 trout.

Dr. Nicole Vaugeois, director of research, declined when pressed to identify what errors occurred, citing privacy concerns for students and staff. She didn’t elaborate which came first, the human or mechanical error, saying “they kind of go together.”

“As soon as we were aware of the incident, the animal care committee at VIU instigated an investigation and put in a number of corrective actions to make sure the remaining fish were well-cared for.” _{Dr. Nicole Vaugeois}

An investigation into the incident has already finished and a report was filed to the Canadian Council on Animal Care.

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Vaugeois said they have a “clear picture” of what happened on Dec. 5 and she hoped any deficiencies would be addressed within the next six months.

“The investigation didn’t identify any deficiencies with our policies or procedures.”

The remaining 1,500 trout at the facility were moved to the Pacific Biology Station in Departure Bay, which is operated by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

The fish were moved on Dec. 20 and 21 in what Vaugeois called an “extraordinary feat in such a short period of time.”

“Relocating a large number of fish is a very large logistical undertaking, with two public institutions involved and animal care committees on both sides. Approvals, permits, coordinators, there was a lot of work involved with a lot of different players.”

To her knowledge, there’s never before been a mass death incident like this at VIU.

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