A cyanide spill by a chemical plant killed 3,000 fish in Portage, Indiana, on the south shore of Lake Michigan, two weeks ago, and boaters are still staying away from the marina there and fishing boat captains are worried about their business.
The chemical company, ArcelorMittel, admitted responsibility for the spill, according to The Chicago Tribune. The spill, in the Little Calumet River which runs through Portage into the lake, killed bass, walleye, panfish, channel catfish and shad.
Various officials closed the river to fishing, while the National Park Service closed Indiana Dunes National Park, on the lake just east of the city, to swimming and fishing. The Portage marina posted signs warning of the spill and prohibiting fishing.
A few days after the ArcelorMittel spill, U.S. Steel spilled petroleum in the same area. About a week later state environmental authorities said that repeated tests showed the waters were safe from any toxins, and they were reopened again.
Meanwhile, boat owners were staying away from the marina, and Mark Melton, pictured above, worried about his charter fishing business. He said the state officials told him that salmon and trout in Lake Michigan weren’t affected by the spill. But his customers were asking if they would get sick from other fish. ‘I’m fishing 14 miles out,” he told the Tribune. “Obviously people are concerned. Of course I’m concerned.” Read more:
