Mar 15, 2023
Low oxygen causing problems for Sandhills lakes
Low oxygen has been recorded in Sandhills region shallow, highly vegetated lakes causing fish kills.
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A substantial fish kill, affecting all species in the lake, has occurred at Big Indian Recreation Area south of Wymore in Gage County.
Angler reports prompted Nebraska Game and Parks Commission biologists on July 1 to visit the lake, where they observed numerous dead fish of all species. Dissolved oxygen was tested, confirming extremely low levels in the lake caused the fish kill.
“Unfortunately, many water bodies are susceptible to summertime fish kills given the right sequence of weather events,” said Tony Barada, a Game and Parks fisheries assistant administrator.
Extreme heat and sunshine earlier that week at Big Indian likely contributed to a large algal bloom that subsequently died back during the cooler temperatures and cloud cover that followed. When algae die, the bacteria that consumes it also consumes oxygen. When the algal die-off is excessive, it can cause fish kills.
The recreation area, including the 77-acre lake, is managed by the Lower Big Blue Natural Resources District.
Game and Parks’ fisheries staff will continue to evaluate the situation in the coming weeks to determine future management steps for the fishery.
