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CLOUDY Temp: 65 °F Wind: NNW at 4 mph Saturday, August 3, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Cyberchef E The People Golf Job Network Headbone Zone Wellness Connection Movie Times Newspaper in Education Oregon CarZone Outdoor Journal Personals Prime Times Real Estate Tempo A & E TV Times W3 Magazine CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Destinations Automotive Communities Employment Entertainment Publications Real Estate Recreation Shopping Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Jobs @ Mail Tribune Email Story to a Friend August 1, 2002 Hyatt Lake safe again for rainbow trout By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Water conditions are safe again for rainbow trout at Hyatt Lake, where a combination of poor oxygen levels and warm temperatures last week killed thousands of the lake’s bigger fish. A survey by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife shows that the water’s dissolved oxygen levels are back to normal, and there appears to be no more sick or dead fish there. "It appears the problem, the die-off, has passed," says David Haight, one of two ODFW biologists investigating the incident. "Hopefully, we won’t have any more problems this summer." The news created relief Wednesday at Campers Cove resort, where owner Mary Dean says the dead fish and smelly water conditions have kept anglers off the water and diners out of her restaurant. "I didn’t notice the smell at all (Tuesday) coming across the dam, and the dead fish are gone," Dean says. "The buzzards have come and cleaned the place up." Lake conditions turned lethal a week ago when hundreds of rainbow trout, some more than 20 inches long, began turning up dead along the shoreline and hundreds more were seen finning listlessly atop the lake’s surface. ODFW biologists investigating the die-off Thursday estimated 1,000 to 2,000 dead fish along the lake’s banks and suspected untold numbers were dead on the lake’s underwater floor. Water measurements revealed the lake’s temperature at 74 degrees and dissolved oxygen levels at just 2.6 parts per million, leading Haight to suspect that the trout suffocated. Levels of at least 4 parts per million are considered the minimum for trout survival. The crash in dissolved oxygen likely occurred when the lake’s mid-summer bloom of algae died en masse, and the decaying organisms sucked the lake’s water of oxygen. Tests Tuesday, however, revealed dissolved oxygen levels of 8 parts per million, which is within the normal range, Haight says. Tests done over the weekend showed that the dead trout suffered from no diseases, so live fish caught in the lake are considered safe to eat when handled and cooked properly. Haight says his agency will conduct its regular inventory of Hyatt Lake this fall and will then get an estimate of the fish kill. "If no more fish die, it might end up to be not that bad of a problem," he says. "Obviously, it’s not good that these big fish died. But we still might have a good population of fish left." There are no plans to stock fresh fish in Hyatt Lake this year to make up for the dead trout. Fish-kills stemming from poor oxygen levels are somewhat common in shallow farm ponds and lakes where sunlight can help large masses of algae grow. But they are a rarity at places like Hyatt Lake, where similar die-offs occurred in the mid-1980s when millions of brown bullheads inhabited the lake and sucked it clean of oxygen during some summers. Chemical treatment killed off the bullhead population in 1989, and the trout there have had no trouble until this month. 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 M 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 web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S