“What is normal?” asks Leighton.
“We know there were peculiarities with the herring and we know that those with little fat content died off, but we shouldn’t jump to conclusions that this was abnormal.
“It was determined that it was largely caused by environmental factors, but that doesn’t mean humans didn’t have a hand in it,” he says. 

People began seeing dead herring wash into St. Mary’s Bay and the Annapolis Basin in Nov. 2016. The issue continued into areas such as Bear River, but eventually subsided.

Many people had theories, including fishermen who argued weather was behind the deaths, but no firm cause was determined. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans began testing the dead fish Nov. 22, 2016 and continued doing so into Dec. 2016 but found no conclusive results.

As of Jan. 2017, DFO said the deaths have diminished significantly.

While he was gathering data in December, Leighton asked members of the public “who are able to continue making surveys of beaches for herring” to continue doing so and report any results.

Now, he asks the public to bring any new ideas or theories they might have to the meeting for discussion.

“This isn’t a talk where people will be told ‘we know everything, and you know nothing,’” says Leighton.

“This will be a forum where anyone who wants to speak can speak and is encouraged to share their ideas.”