Lakes all over the state of Iowa are dealing with dead fish floating to the surface thanks the excessive heat and lack of rain we have seen. The most recent fish kill in our area is Lake Canyada in Davenport. Residents woke up Monday morning to the rancid smell of rotten fish.
Approximately 2000 fish were killed in the lake due to high heat and lack of rain fall. The weather conditions depleted the amount of oxygen in the lake, killing mainly blue gills, some catfish and grass carp.
An Iowa DNR officer has checked the water and confirmed that it was nature and not pollution that killed the thousands of fish.
“If it was a fish kill related to chemicals or some other foreign substance in the lake, it would be in the 10’s of thousands in that 11 acre lake,” DNR officer Jeff Harrison tells us. “So, it’s a natural occurring event.”
Lake Canyada is not alone. Harrison says there have been 3 fish kills at Lake Odessa this year. DNR has also stated that similar fish kills are being reported across the state of Iowa.