Volunteer streamkeeper Paul Cipywnyk says incidents like this prove there's a need for more public education. Volunteer streamkeeper Paul Cipywnyk says incidents like this prove there's a need for more public education. (CBC)

Volunteer streamkeepers are sampling a creek in Burnaby, B.C., after more than 1,000 fish were found dead.

Paul Cipywnyk said the dead fish were reported to the Ministry of Environment on Thursday.

Officials have not determined what killed the fish — mostly salmon and trout — but Cipywnyk said it appeared to be some sort of cleanser, likely poured down a storm drain.

"It had a strong ammonia smell and it had that soapy, slimy feeling to it," he said.

Cipywnyk said he estimates well over 1,000 fish in Byrne Creek were killed, perhaps as many as 2,000.

'It's been a total kill. Everything in the creek has been wiped out'—Paul Cipywnyk, volunteer streamkeeper

"The really sad part of it is this is the time of year when the baby salmon are just starting to be born. This is when they start popping out of the gravel and we just started seeing them about 10 days to two weeks ago," he said.

"So what's happened is that we've actually had two generations of fish killed. We had the baby salmon that were just popping up and we also had the yearlings that should have been going out to the ocean in the next few weeks."

Public education needed, says volunteer

Volunteers say as many as 2,000 fish could be dead.Volunteers say as many as 2,000 fish could be dead. (CBC)

Cipywnyk said the creek's entire fish population has been killed off.

"Unfortunately, it's been a total kill. Everything in the creek has been wiped out. Mother Nature does a good job of recovery, fish will be coming back into the system … but it'll take time. It'll take a couple of years to restore the populations," he said.

Cipywnyk, who has been volunteering at the creek for nearly a decade, said he's seen three major spills and thousands of dead fish over the years.

"We try to get the message out and it's okay for a couple years and it just takes one person who's unaware to start the negative cycle all over again."

Cipywnyk said situations like this prove the need for more public education.

"I mean, this chemical doesn't just disappear, it goes into the ocean … and it will eventually end up on our plates," he said.

Cipywnyk and other volunteers plan to sample insects living in the creek to see if they have been affected by the spill as well.

The city of Burnaby is having the water analyzed in an attempt to determine what killed the fish.