Close to 400 rainbow trout at Vancouver Island University suffocated after the oxygen to their tank was accidentally cut off.
The remaining 1,500 trout — which were in other tanks at the Nanaimo facility — have been relocated to the federal Pacific Biological Station, also in Nanaimo.
Built in 1986, the university’s trout facility has been shut down for now, said Nicole Vaugeois, the university’s associate vice-president of scholarship, research and creative activity.
The 377 trout that died on Dec. 5 were used to teach the university’s fisheries and aquaculture students how to rear fish, she said Tuesday.
The university described the incident as the result of a series of mechanical and human errors. “I can’t comment too much on exactly what happened out of respect for the privacy for our students and employees,” Vaugeois said.
“This was an accident that has devastated all of us here.”
The dead trout were between one and three years old, she said. A significant number were brood stock.
Surviving trout arrived at the federal facility on Dec. 20 and 21. They are expected to stay there for six months, Vaugeois said.
The university’s fisheries and aquaculture program includes a bachelor’s degree and a diploma. Students work at the on-campus trout farm and with other species such as salmon and sturgeon.
VIU is looking at how students will be able to complete their programs, Vaugeois said.
