Centre Island’s ball field now has catch o’ the day
It’s not the usual catch you might see on a baseball diamond.
Splashing around in more than 30 centimetres of water covering what used to be a baseball diamond at Gibraltar Point on Toronto’s Centre Island are dozens of carp and a few ducks.
The once-dry area is a swampy shallow pond that carp from the lagoon have taken over since the area suffered a deluge just over a week ago. According to the Fishes of Toronto guide by the city, common carp are in the midst of spawning season, which is from May to June.
Common carp generally spawn in flooded areas, like marshland, where they thrash around and spread their eggs onto plants, says a backgrounder on the species by the Royal Botanical Gardens.
“They scared the crap out of me at first,” BRANDON MURPHY AFTER SEEING CARP SWIMMING THE BASES AT THE FLOODED GIBRALTAR BASEBALL PARK
Brandon Murphy and his father were out cycling on the islands when they came across the unusual sight.
“They scared the crap out of me at first,” said Murphy, adding he initially thought they were salmon.
“It was pretty cool (though),” he concluded, noting that his shoes were soaked from biking through swaths of flooded road.
Despite the warm, bright day, restricted ferry service to Toronto Island Park meant few tourists could enjoy what’s become of the island. Only Ward’s Island dock has regular ferry service, and service to Centre Island and Hanlan’s Point docks has been cancelled.
“I think we’ve seen five people all day,” Murphy said.
James Dann, the city’s manager for Waterfront Parks, was on site Monday where the carp were getting comfortable in their new habitat on the baseball field.
“We’re still doing all that we can to preserve this asset of the Toronto Island and we’re working with our partners at Toronto and Region Conservation Authority,” he said.
“This is the area of greatest concern,” he added.
Though efforts are underway to get the islands back into shape for the upcoming long weekend, the opening of the Centreville Theme Park has been delayed because of flooding and suspended ferry service.
And over by Hanlan’s Point Park, a man claiming to be a nudist said he was very disappointed with the state of the islands.
The nudist, or naturist, community usually has a big gathering during the May long weekend that may have to be moved or postponed because Hanlan’s Point Beach, a clothing optional spot, is partially submerged in water.
The community is now faced with finding an alternative place to have their gathering, he said.