NEAR SALIX, Iowa (KTIV) - Hundreds of dead fish were seen at the Snyder Bend Park Tuesday afternoon.
"A lot of dead fish right now, it’s stinky and smelly, but it is all part of that system," said Doug Chafa, wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Chafa said the cause is something called "winter kill", and it's natural.
"Basically, the water from the oxbow lake has drained from the sand out to the river. The river has been low all winter and it got too low," said Chafa.
The cold and snow played a part, as well.
"It is pretty extreme this year, I think some of that has to do with low water levels last fall with the drought, and the Missouri River is managed to have the navigation season end in the fall," said Chafa.
Iowa DNR has no clean-up plans for the fish because Chafa said it is all part of the wetland cycle.
"That’s right when the bald eagles are migrating north, and they’re here feeding on them. Later, the turkey vultures as they’re on their spring migration will feed on them," said Chafa.
Chafa said there are still fish alive in the lake.
"A lot of times they’re like the common carp, bullheads, carp, they’re tough," said Chafa.
Chafa said the Iowa DNR was already looking at renovating the fishery this summer to remove the Asian carp, common carp, and other rough fish. But, he said, mother nature helped them out a little.
According to the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, the fish kill was likely due to low water levels. The nature centers says there are a lot of fish in the lake using oxygen and the former ice and snow cover prevented oxygen production.
The Iowa DNR is monitoring the water levels of the lake and working to mitigate the low water level to maintain a more reliable water flow level in the lake.
March 10, 2021 at 06:11AM
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Large fish kill at Snyder Bend Park near Salix, IA - KTIV
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