The signs went up late Tuesday afternoon, closing Jones Lake in Moncton to all recreational activities after dozens of dead fish started washing up on shore last week.
“It's like a dead rotting fish smell,” said resident Adams Townsend. “It's not a great smell and not like that pleasant ocean smell that some people enjoy.”
Townsend doesn't let his dog swim in the lake but he is worried for other pet owners.
“I know there are some people in the community who let their dogs jump in and cool off on a hot day and that's not cool if the dog gets a dead fish,” Townsend said.
According to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the fish appear to be white suckers -- a common species found in lakes this size.
DFO also said in a statement that there is no work currently taking place in or around the lake which could have impacted fish or fish habitat.
“I'm very anxious to see what the source of this might be,” said Cathy Rogers, the MLA for Moncton South.
Rogers says she reached out to the department of environment Tuesday when she first found out about the problem
“I was not given any information,” Rogers said. “They told me they are investigating and they did commit to letting me know as soon as they know anything, but I have no option but to wait as well.”
A spokesperson for the city of Moncton says that while they still haven't heard back from the department of environment with the exact cause of the fish kill, they decided to close the lake for precautionary reasons.
The environment department collected water samples from the lake on Monday and sent them to be tested, but so far no results have come back.
“I hope it might be just a short term something, but where we've got a dozen or two dozen fish that have been found dead,” Rogers said. “To me there is a link to something; we just need to know what it is.”
For now, the community is left wondering while the lake remains closed.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Eilish Bonang.
