Summer is here and so are shad flies, 'They are part of the North Bay culture'

Shad flies are back in North Bay Summer has arrived and so have the shad flies.

If you live in North Bay, you have definitely noticed the shad flies are back.

They are covering just about everything downtown and around Lake Nipissing.

A local biologist said it may seem overwhelming, but shad flies hatch all at once over a period of two or three weeks and they are important for many reasons.

“Birds eat them, as well as the shad flies that fall into the water at Lake Nipissing, fish will eat those as well, so they're really important food,” said Rebecca Gauvreau.

“They're also an indicator of water quality, so good shad flies, lots of shad flies, means we have good water quality.”

Gauvreau adds if you do find the shad flies to be a nuisance, try to remember why they're important and it won't be long until they are gone.

CTV asked people in North Bay for their thoughts on the return of shad flies.

“They’re pretty gross right now, but if we didn’t have the shad flies than we wouldn't have a good lake, and they're only here for a month and then they're gone anyways.”

“They're quite a nuisance from time to time, but they are part of the North Bay culture. They're not around for very long, so it's not the worst thing. They don’t stay around for very long, but they do provide a bad stench, but they're not the worst.”

“They're just really smelly, but they don’t bite, which is good.”