Common carp fish are dying by the thousands in Storm Lake.
DNR fisheries biologist Ben Wallace says the carp that are dying are sub-adult, or smaller ones. Wallace says they’ve received confirmation that koi-herpes virus is killing the carp, which was suspected from the onset…(audio clip below :27 )
Wallace said it’s hard to say how the fish came to be infected with the virus.
Wallace said he’s been at Storm Lake approximately seven times since the common carp kill started, and has not seen any evidence of other fish species dying off. Wallace said one or two other dead fish doesn’t constitute a mass fish kill, and it is normal to see a few dead fish of any species at any given time. A blue-green algae bloom is occurring in Storm Lake right now, which is unrelated to the fish kill.
Wallace said he’s frequently been asked who is going to pick up the dead fish along Storm Lake, and where can they be taken…(audio clip below :29 )
Wallace said the fish kill will likely continue for some time, but he doesn’t expect it will have a huge impact on the common carp population in Storm Lake.
The DNR Fishing Report can be heard Saturday mornings around 6:50am on KAYL and KKIA…or go to the “Announcements and Cancellations” drop-down bar at stormlakeradio.com, and click on “DNR Reports.”
