Natural fish kill or vandalism?
That controversy seemed to fester Saturday after dozens of fish died at the Belle Isle Aquarium, which is trying to make a comeback after being shut since 2005.
A volunteer claims the fish died from vandalism after someone put bleach in the tanks.
Not true, officials said, saying the volunteered explanation was based on emotion, not fact.
"There was no forced entry, no broken window, and we don't believe there was a crime," said Jennifer Boardman of Lathrup Village, secretary of the former Friends of Belle Isle Aquarium, which merged in January with other groups to become the nonprofit Belle Isle Conservancy, the Free reported.
"We did lose some fish, from one tank. We believe there was a tank die-off, which anyone who keeps fish knows can happen occasionally," if water temperature or the composition changes unexpectedly, or if fungus or bacteria get into a tank, Boardman said.
The incident came just days after Thursday's $50 a ticket gala event called "Race to Reopen the Aquarium."
The Free reported:
The rumor about vandalism sprang into news reports, then was amplified on Facebook sites, after an aquarium volunteer spoke to a TV news crew without permission from aquarium curators, Boardman said. He arrived at the site at 1 p.m., well after the troubled tank had been cleaned out, she said.
"He is a very valued volunteer, but he acted on emotion. He didn't contact the right people" before doing an interview at the aquarium, she said.
