California, Missouri mayor: Fish kill included ‘possibly over 1,000 fish’

CALIFORNIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The mayor of California, Missouri, said in a press release that a recent fish kill in the city could have include more than 1,000 fish.

Proctor Park Lake had a reported fish kill on Sunday. The lake is managed through an agreement between the City and the Missouri Department of Conservation, according to the release.

“According to Scott Williams, a Fisheries Biologist with the Department, the fish kill consisted mostly of gizzard shad, numbering several hundred to possibly over 1000 killed. Smaller numbers (less than ten each) of bluegill, largemouth bass, and channel catfish were also killed,” Mayor Lanny Ash said in the release.

The release stated the fish kill was considered natural and caused by a planktonic algae bloom.

“It is suspected that the cloudy weather on Friday July 7-Sunday July 9th caused a die back of algal cells in the water that then resulted in a drop in the dissolved oxygen level of the lake,” according to the release.

Oxygen levels recovered by Wednesday. The release stated the City will be looking into ways to prevent future occurrences.