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L/FOG Temp: 45 °F Wind: SSE at 3 mph Saturday, November 23, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 27, 2002 Fish likely killed by high water temperatures and low oxygen levels lie along the shore near the dam at Hyatt Lake. The lake is still open to fishing, but biologists warn angleres not to eat any of the sick or dead fish. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Hundreds of Hyatt fish die The rainbow trout deaths are likely a natural phenomenon By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Hundreds of rainbow trout are dead and many more are dying in Hyatt Lake, where biologists say a lethal mix of high water temperatures and poor oxygen levels is the likely culprit. The trout, measuring from 6 inches to well over 20, started surfacing dead on Thursday along the south end of the popular high-mountain fishing lake east of Ashland. By Friday morning, the banks were littered with the dead fish, while sick and dying ones finned lazily on the surface as the stench of rotting fish and decaying plant life hung over the water. "The lake smells just awful," said Mary Dean, owner of the Campers Cove resort along the lakeshore. "When you go across the dam, the lake smells like a sewer. This is terrible." No health advisories were issued Friday for the lake or the fish, and the lake is still open for fishing. But biologists were conducting tests for any diseases and warning anglers not to eat any of the sick or dead fish. "That would be a personal choice," said David Haight, a biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. "I don’t know any reason to say the fish wouldn’t be safe to eat, other than, obviously, people shouldn’t eat the sick ones. "Personally, I wouldn’t want to eat any fish that are sick and up against the shore," he said. The fish-kill is likely a natural phenomenon common in farm ponds and smaller lakes but rare at places like Hyatt, which is about 5,000 feet above sea level. Haight said the lake’s water had extremely low dissolved oxygen, which fish require for breathing. Tests done Thursday showed a surface temperature of 74 degrees and dissolved oxygen levels of just 2.6 parts per million, Haight said. Levels of at least 4 parts per million are considered the minimum for trout survival, Haight said. "Certainly, with oxygen that low and temperatures that high, it’s not surprising the fish are having problems," Haight said. Some of the live fish showed signs of lesions and bruising, possibly because they were attacked by ospreys and other birds while they floundered on the surface, Haight said. Ten of the live fish were collected, killed, packed in ice and shipped Friday by Greyhound to an ODFW pathology lab in Corvallis for examination. The fish will be inspected for diseases, Haight said. The lack of dissolved oxygen likely is caused by a sudden and rampant die-off of algae in the lake. The decaying algae can rob the lake of oxygen quickly. The phenomenon is somewhat common in smaller, shallow lakes subject to stagnant water and intense sunlight. But there have been no massive die-offs at Hyatt Lake since the 1980s, when the lake was overrun with brown bullheads that in some years died en masse when oxygen levels dropped, Haight said. There were no fish kills reported at nearby Howard Prairie Lake, which is Hyatt Lake’s sister reservoir, said Chris Johnston at the Howard Prairie Resort. The likely difference is that Hyatt Lake is a shallow reservoir that now is no deeper than 23 feet, while Howard Prairie Lake still has spots 40 feet deep sporting water that Johnston said was about 50 degrees —a level optimal for trout survival. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S