A total of 377 rainbow trout died at a facility on the Vancouver Island University campus in Nanaimo last month.
According to a statement from the university, a culmination of a series of human and mechanical errors led to the death of the fish on December 5th, 2019.
As a result, VIU promptly decommissioned the Fisheries and Aquaculture facility in which the incident took place in order to review the accident.
“VIU is taking this incident very seriously and is working in cooperation and close consultation with the CCAC to determine the path forward,” reads the statement from the university.
The Animal Care Committee on campus has submitted its report of the incident to the Canadian Council on Animal Care and is now awaiting its response.
The remaining 1,500 trout housed at the university were relocated to the Pacific Biological Station operated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Nanaimo on December 20th and 21st.
They will remain at this facility until further notice from VIU.
