Saugeen Ojibway Nation raises concerns about safety of fish off shores of nuclear plant

The Saugeen Ojibway Nation is raising concerns over the safety of fish drawn towards Bruce Power due to warmer waters. Scott Miller explains.

Off the shores of Bruce Power sits a plethora of marine life. But that may not always be a good thing, according to biologists with the Saugeen Ojibway Nation.

“In many cases, they’re being attracted to the plant. And there’s real concern that when these fish are getting attracted, that they’re actually being put at risk by the plant facilities themselves,” said Ryan Lauzon, fisheries management biologist with the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation.

Bruce Power, one of the world’s largest nuclear plants, uses large amounts of water from Lake Huron to cool its reactors. That water is ultimately discharged back into the lake, warmer than when it went in, which attracts some fish species, namely gizzard shad.

Sometimes those fish make their way into Bruce Power’s infrastructure and are killed doing so. The Saugeen Ojibway Nation says their documentation shows large scale fish kills going back as far as the plant’s opening in 1977.

“We had another event 2023. And then, most seriously, we had a major fish kill just one winter ago. In that case, there were close to five million fish that were killed within the plant infrastructure as a result of getting attracted, and then, unfortunately, getting into the cooling infrastructure,” explained Lauzon.

Bruce Power says they are governed by strict federal and provincial regulations, and they’ve made changes since 2025’s major fish kill.

“Following the unprecedented fish event in 2025, which resulted from a rare convergence of environmental conditions, including prolonged cold weather and an unusually large presence of gizzard shad, Bruce Power promptly implemented additional protective measures. This includes the installation of physical barriers [nets], acoustic and strobe light deterrents, enhanced monitoring including technologies using sonar and camera-based systems, and expanded lake monitoring and research to better understand fish movement and ecosystem responses,” Bruce Power said in a statement.

Lauzon says the Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON) is working with Bruce Power to try and protect the multitude of fish that linger off the shores of the nuclear plant, including three culturally significant lake sturgeon SON says are currently stuck within Bruce Power’s system.

“We’ve been trying to fix some of the ways the fish can get into the plant. But ultimately, if we keep attracting these fish to the plant, you know, we’ve got to look at that side of the equation, as well,” said Lauzon.

Bruce Power says they’re doing their best to keep fish out of their facility.

“Bruce Power’s cooling water systems are designed to minimize fish interactions, with intake structures located deep offshore and infrastructure that maintains low approach velocity to ensure fish can typically swim away. Engagement with the Saugeen Ojibway Nation has been an important part of our response and shaping this work and will continue to inform protection and prevention efforts,” said Bruce Power in a statement.

For more on SON’s concerns about the safety of fish within their territory off the shores of Bruce Power, you can visit their website.

A statement from Bruce Power

“Like many industries that use lake water for cooling, Bruce Power returns water to Lake Huron at a slightly higher temperature, creating a small, localized warm‑water zone which can attract certain fish species. Protecting Lake Huron is a core priority for Bruce Power, and operations are governed by strict federal and provincial environmental regulations, including defined limits on thermal discharges, conducting a periodic environmental risk assessment, and comprehensive fish-protection and aquatic-monitoring requirements.

Bruce Power’s cooling water systems are designed to minimize fish interactions, with intake structures located deep offshore and infrastructure that maintains low approach velocity to ensure fish can typically swim away.

Following the unprecedented fish event in 2025 – which resulted from a rare convergence of environmental conditions, including prolonged cold weather and an unusually large presence of gizzard shad – Bruce Power promptly implemented additional protective measures. This includes the installation of physical barriers (nets), acoustic and strobe light deterrents; enhanced monitoring including technologies using sonar and camera-based systems; and expanded lake monitoring and research to better understand fish movement and ecosystem responses. These efforts are being developed collaboratively with academic institutions, regulators, and Indigenous partners. Engagement with the Saugeen Ojibway Nation has been an important part of our response and shaping this work and will continue to inform protection and prevention efforts.”