Tag Archives: fish kills

There is no doubt “the” topic of the week has been the fish die-off at Lake McConaughy.  Here is our official statement from yesterday: LINCOLN, Neb. – The cause of a fish die-off at Lake McConaughy, Nebraska’s largest reservoir, remains inconclusive. Fisheries biologists from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission are investigating a die-off, in which approximately 1,000 dead fish were discovered on the west half of the reservoir. Adult white bass comprised 99% of those fish. Point-source pollution – …

Going to blog about something that comes up every year about this time.  I have had a few phone calls and messages about it already. . . . Every year about this time we get reports of dead crappies or dead bluegills on a variety of waters.  It is understandable that folks are concerned when they see dead fish.  Of course assumptions are always the worst, that there has been some pollution event or there is something “bad” in the …

There is no question the most common phone call/e-mail/FaceBook message I have received in the past few weeks has been about some dead fish in this or that location across Nebraska.  This has been widespread enough that we put out a news release last week: Spring fish die-offs not unusual in Nebraska LINCOLN, Neb. – Spring fish die-offs in Nebraska are not unusual. Reports of these fish kills – which have been due to natural causes – have come from …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Spring fish die-offs in Nebraska are not unusual. Reports of these fish kills – which have been due to natural causes – have come from a variety of water bodies across the state in recent weeks. “Winter is a hard time for fish, and they can experience stress coming out of the winter,” said Daryl Bauer, fisheries outreach program manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. “Our relatively cold spring coupled with wild temperature swings and …

LINCOLN, Neb. – Private pond owners are encouraged to report severe winter fish kills to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission following ice-out. Winter fish kills occur when oxygen levels fall too low to support fish under the ice. Ice prevents the direct absorption of oxygen from the atmosphere, so oxygen produced by plant photosynthesis is crucial. Oxygen levels drop because of plant decomposition and respiration by aquatic organisms. Shallow ponds with heavy vegetation are particularly susceptible. Once the ice …