At a news conference in Bemus Point, State Senator Catharine "Cathy" Young (R,I,C - Olean) today announced a $30,000 matching grant from the State to aid in the cleanup of the fish die-off in Chautauqua Lake. The grant secured by Senator Young will go directly towards the Chautauqua Lake Association’s cleanup efforts to rid the lake and shoreline of dead carp.

"The cleanup costs have been way beyond expecations," Senator Young said. "Thousands of fish have already been disposed of, and there is still work to do. The Chautauqua Lake Association has been doing a great job with the cleanup and they should be commended for the urgency they have gone about their work. The Association understands that it’s imperative that the lake be ready over the upcoming holiday weekend for all of the wonderful recreational opportunities that the lake provides."

According to recent reports, nearly twenty-four thousand carp have died in Chautauqua Lake because of the Koi Herpes virus, a viral disease highly contagious to fish, and fatal to the common carp. Koi Herpes kills seventy to eighty percent of the carp infected with the virus.