BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana is seeing a "rash" of fish kills across the state, and more are possible soon, according to the state's wildlife agency.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said the combination of soaring temperatures and storms are causing hypoxia, or the depletion of oxygen in water, that is leading to more fish kills.
The agency says high-temperature water has a low carrying capacity for capacity for dissolved oxygen, which creates a balance between oxygen-producing and oxygen-consuming life in the water. Rainfall can tip the scales in the wrong direction, creating a hypoxic (low oxygen) fish kill.
Other factors that can tip the scales and cause a fish kill include stagnant water, extended cloudy weather, decaying debris, turbid runoff and nutrient rich runoff.
LDWF says thunderstorms with high winds or heavy rain can mix the hypoxic water, dropping oxygen levels for large portions of the water. Different species and sizes of fish can tolerate different levels of hypoxia, so sometimes fish kills only include a certain species of fish.
"Heat- and storm-related fish kills have occurred in Louisiana since before recorded history, and the ecosystems have evolved to be resilient and bounce back from them," the agency said. "Decomposers and scavengers, including microbes, crawfish, crabs, fish, alligators, turtles, raccoons, and birds, will do their part in helping to clean up fish carcasses."
"While fish kills are shocking to experience and can appear devastating, they often lead to a rejuvenated system that is healthy and naturally replenished in the following years," the agency added.
For information on how to report a fish kill or more information about the causes of fish kills, visit the LDWF's fish kill webpage.
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