Scottish trout being killed by natural bacteria

Rainbow trout have been disappearing at a rapid rate in Scotland’s Lake Menteith, but recent studies released yesterday by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have determined that pollution is not the problem as earlier indicated.

According to the results released by SEPA there may actually be a naturally occurring bacteria strand in the water that is slowly destroying the rainbow trout species and not humans after all.

Scientists have been working with the SEPA to discover the reason why thousands of dead rainbow trout emerged on top of Lake Meniteith near Aberfoyle.

Initial results showed that the fish died because of a lack of oxygenation due to damaged gills and assumed that pollution could be the cause, but ecologists have now ruled pollution out as a cause.

Blue-green algae was also a suspect in the fish’s demise, but test results have shown that these toxins are not consistent with the rainbow trout deaths although further tests are being completed on the algae.

Until the cause of death is confirmed, the Aberfoyle fishery has been closed until May 9th when further test results are expected to become available.

Iron testing is also being conducted, as this has caused other species of fish to die in the past near the same area, but the SEPA is placing higher emphasis on a naturally occurring bacteria.