(Orleans)– Officials site a combination of old age and high water temperature as contributing factors that led to a recent die off of yellow perch on Big Spirit Lake.
Mike Hawkins, a fisheries Biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says thousands of yellow perch died off in recent weeks. He says most of the fish were five to six years of age.
Hawkins adds yellow perch are a cold water fish and don’t tolerate warm water very well, which can often lead to a bacterial infection in older fish.
Inspite of the die-off, Hawkins still expects good perch fishing again this coming fall and winter on Big Spirit.
