Ice hut garbage left on Lake Simcoe

CTV Barrie: Ice hut mess Most ice fishers have packed up for the season, but on Lake Simcoe, even though the huts are gone a big mess has been left behind.

Ice fishing huts have been removed from Lake Simcoe near Thorah Island, but piles of garbage have been left behind.

There is an array of trash scattered around ice hut locations two nautical miles from shore.  More than a dozen propane tanks have been left there and some still have gas in them.

There are also buckets and bags of human waste scattered around on the ice.

Ice fisherman Tom Carr was shocked when he found the debris this weekend.

“It’s an incredible about of stuff. Some of its now frozen into the water, and it should have been gone a week ago,” he said on Saturday.   “On so many levels its absolutely wrong. It’s like people who dump garbage in the ditch.  It’s something we shouldn't do.”

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry confirmed on Saturday that conservation officers are investigating.

They have identified one commercial fish hut operator who is believed to be responsible. No word if any official charges will be laid at this point.

While Carr is outraged he says the vast majority of ice fishers are excellent stewards of the lake.

“It’s really important that we look at other fish hut operators,” he says. “They have done their job, they have cleaned up behind them. They have left nothing behind except for the holes.”

With ice conditions changing daily, there is concern that time is running out to get the mess cleaned up. It’s unclear how that will get done.