HONOLULU — The latest government tests of fish samples taken from a fish kill on Ni‘ihau in February have confirmed that no detectable amounts were found of a rodenticide used to control an infestation of rats threatening native seabirds on Lehua Island, north of Ni‘ihau, a DLNR news release said today.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources has completed testing of fish samples obtained after a fish kill in February 2009, and freshly caught specimens collected in April. Laboratory results returned to the DLNR this month from two independent laboratories both did not detect the rodenticide, diphacinone, in any of the samples.

“We have conducted two rounds of rigorous testing in independent laboratories of samples taken at two different times, and both reported no rodenticide,” said Laura Thielen, DLNR chair, in the release. 

“The Robinson family has been contacted to notify them and to pass these findings on to the Ni‘ihau residents. Although fish kills occur for a variety of reasons, we will continue to look for other leads on possible causes of the fish kill,” she said.