(Orleans)– Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources say a fish kill on the south side of Big Spirit Lake is likely the result of natural causes. Residents of that area have recently reported finding dead fish washed up along the shoreline. Most are said to be bluegills, but other species have also been reported.
Mike Hawkins, Regional Fisheries Management Supervisor for the DNR, tells KUOO news it was likely the result of weather extremes we’ve been experiencing recently…
“We had a re-freeze of Big Spirit Lake, or at least a partial re-freeze of Big Spirit Lake, and then the wind event that we had a couple weekends ago tore that apart and pushed that ice to the south. We believe that just some of those fish that love to be up in that shallow water trying to warm themselves, they’re seeking out warmer water this time of year, simply got trapped behind that brash ice and there was a bit of mortality there. It doesn’t seem to be very significant. We’ve been monitoring and making sure there aren’t any additional new fish floating in. The other possibility, of course bluegill, like a lot of panfish, have a very short lifespan. They reach maximum age of usually around 5 to 6 years and then die of natural mortality, so it is possible that some of those fish were in a weakened state as well and so that was something that just kind of kicked them over the edge.”
Hawkins says there’s no reason at all to believe any water quality issues were involved.
