Residents around Indian Lake in Worcester, Massachusetts, are raising concerns after a spike in fish deaths following the recent application of aquatic herbicides. These chemicals, intended to control the spread of invasive weeds, work by killing the plants outright. But once the plants die, they begin to decompose in the water—a process that consumes dissolved
Following a chemical treatment aimed at controlling aquatic vegetation in Port St. Lucie’s Elkhorn Canal, residents reported what they called the “worst smell in the entire world” as countless fish perished on the canal’s surface. Water tests revealed that dissolved oxygen levels plunged to levels unsustainable for aquatic life—an unintended but severe consequence of the
In June 2024, a chemical herbicide application in Florida’s Elkcam Waterway resulted in a catastrophic fish kill. Within 24 hours, residents reported fish gasping at the surface, and by the end of the week, thousands of dead fish had washed up along the banks. This devastating incident underscores the dangers of using chemicals to manage
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency released new information regarding its ongoing efforts to determine what caused a massive fish kill in Duluth’s Tischer Creek in August. MPCA Communications Specialist Beverly Godfrey says the city of Duluth drained an estimated 1.7 million gallons of chloraminated water into the creek from the Woodland Reservoir over a 15-hour
David Tyler, publisher of the Cazenovia Republican in Cazenovia New York appreciates and applauds the efforts of the Cazenovia Lake Association and the Lake Watershed Council in their efforts to maintain the health of the lake. With that said, he questions the effect of herbicide treatments on the size and number of fishing being caught.
Lake Isabella has experienced a significant “fish kill” due to low oxygen levels following treatment of an extremely high blue-green algae presence. When the heavy bloom was noted a recommendation was made to close the lake to swimming and boaters and a company was hired to treat the lake with a chemical called SeClear. The
State environmental officials say improper chemical treatment of algae blooms caused a fish kill in northeastern Pennsylvania. The Times-Tribune reports about 10,000 fish died in Lake Ariel in Wayne County last summer. According to the citation, the association hired a New Jersey company to kill algae blooms in July. Officials say the firm did not
A fish kill at Diamond Lake affected about 100 fish of several different species leading to an by the Michigan DNR Fisheries and the Department of Environment and Great Lakes and Energy (EAGLE), formerly known as Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Dead fish showed up two days after the lake had been treated with chemicals
Michigan anglers are fed up with the way some area lake associations have amped up their aquatic plant treatments in recent years. The annual dump of herbicides has destroyed a lot of fish habitat in recent years. It doesn’t matter whether you fish for panfish, bass, pike or walleye; excessive treatments have negative effects. Plants
An outbreak of toxic algae has killed almost all fish at Lake Mission Viejo, a world-class bass fishery in California. An estimated 10,000-plus bass, catfish, sunfish and blue gill have died in the past few months at the man-made recreational lake, said Kevin Frabotta, general manager of the Lake Mission Viejo Association, the homeowners association