September 5, 2008

Algae Bloom Causes Fish Kill at Old Kingfisher Lake in Daviess County

Frankfort, Ky – The combination of recent cloudy weather and a natural algae bloom triggered a fish kill at 14-acre Kingfisher Lake in Daviess County. Initial inspection found 400 to 500 dead fish. “Algae are small photosynthetic organisms that produce oxygen when sunlight is present, but use oxygen when sunlight is not present,” said Jeff Ross, assistant director of fisheries for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. Several days of cloudy weather causes the algae to deplete dissolved oxygen. “If an algae bloom is large enough and you get several days of cloudy weather with little to no sunlight, oxygen levels can drop low enough to cause a fish kill,” Ross said. “This was the case at Old Kingfisher. Algae blooms typically occur when lake nutrient levels are high, leaving the water a pea soup green color.” The dead fish in the lake were primarily gizzard shad, but some bluegill, crappie and largemouth bass also died. “We anticipate more dead fish with continued cloudy weather,” Ross said. “Some of dead fish may have sunk, but will float to the surface in a day or two.” The fisheries division of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife will assess the fish kill next week and take appropriate actions for rehabilitation of the lake. “The lake was overcrowded with gizzard shad, small bluegill and crappie,” Ross said. “The fish kill may have naturally thinned out their numbers.”