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Blue Springs, MO —
Thousands of dead fish have shown up at Blue Springs Lake over the last two weeks and, for now, officials have not determined a cause.
Jake Allman, fisheries management biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, said about 10,000 dead carp have been found at Blue Springs Lake since May 23. He said some type of infection is causing the mass casualities, but it is unknown if it is viral or bacterial.
“We have sent cell cultures to national laboratories, but we won’t have the results back until sometime next week,” he said. “These fish are not native to Missouri, so we call them an invasive, exotic species.”
Carp is just one of dozens of fish populations in the lake. Others include largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, bluegill, some walleye and both flathead and channel catfish. Whatever is killing the carp is not affecting the other fish, Allman said.
Allman said the large number of dead carp are actually beneficial to the other fish because carp tend to “muddy the water.”
“Carp stir a lot of sediment when they dig in the mud, which uproots plants that benefit other fish,” he said. “This will give the aquatic vegetation a better chance of becoming established and make the water much more clear.”
Allman said as far as the carcasses go, “nature will take its course.” He said the area around the lake is full of scavengers such as vultures, raccoons, bobcats and opossums. There is even an eagle nest close by.
“The eagles are eating real well right now,” he said. “We are seeing the amount of dead fish level off, and the (carp) population is beginning to recover. It takes fish about three days to decompose, so by the weekend, a vast majority of the carcasses will be gone.”
Allman said the E-coli levels in Blue Springs Lake are being closely monitored because the decomposing fish could impact it. But for right now, the lake remains open to all water sports.
“At the docks, there is some fish food to feed the carp,” he said. “At the height of the kill, there were no fish. Today, there were about 150, so the population is recovering.”
Thousands of dead fish have shown up at Blue Springs Lake over the last two weeks and, for now, officials have not determined a cause.
Jake Allman, fisheries management biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, said about 10,000 dead carp have been found at Blue Springs Lake since May 23. He said some type of infection is causing the mass casualities, but it is unknown if it is viral or bacterial.
“We have sent cell cultures to national laboratories, but we won’t have the results back until sometime next week,” he said. “These fish are not native to Missouri, so we call them an invasive, exotic species.”
Carp is just one of dozens of fish populations in the lake. Others include largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, bluegill, some walleye and both flathead and channel catfish. Whatever is killing the carp is not affecting the other fish, Allman said.
Allman said the large number of dead carp are actually beneficial to the other fish because carp tend to “muddy the water.”
“Carp stir a lot of sediment when they dig in the mud, which uproots plants that benefit other fish,” he said. “This will give the aquatic vegetation a better chance of becoming established and make the water much more clear.”
Allman said as far as the carcasses go, “nature will take its course.” He said the area around the lake is full of scavengers such as vultures, raccoons, bobcats and opossums. There is even an eagle nest close by.
“The eagles are eating real well right now,” he said. “We are seeing the amount of dead fish level off, and the (carp) population is beginning to recover. It takes fish about three days to decompose, so by the weekend, a vast majority of the carcasses will be gone.”
Allman said the E-coli levels in Blue Springs Lake are being closely monitored because the decomposing fish could impact it. But for right now, the lake remains open to all water sports.
“At the docks, there is some fish food to feed the carp,” he said. “At the height of the kill, there were no fish. Today, there were about 150, so the population is recovering.”
