Name:	LakeMartinLife -	Reply
Subject:	Dead Fish
Date:	8/6/2017 10:02:24 PM

Anyone else notice an abnormally large number of dead fish this weekend?   On Saturday cruising north toward Big Beach area there were tons of small fish dead and a few larger stripe.   Today heading out toward Chimney Rock there were alot of dead stripe all over the place.   Anyone have any ideas about that?   Always concerning just wondering what caused it and water quality etc... 

Name:	ALDUCK -	Reply
Subject:	Dead Fish
Date:	8/7/2017 9:23:30 AM

I have a friend that stripe fishes on the lake, he was telling me the lake "flipped" this past week.  This is where the warm upper water and cool lower water mix.  I noticed the water temp while surfing seemed cooler than the week before. 

I noticed lots of dead fish Sat morning and was thinking it may be from the temp change.

Not really sure.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	Dead Fish
Date:	8/7/2017 9:45:24 AM

Not the case in the Sandy Creek area so it is not a lake wide issue.  

Name:	Lifer -	Reply
Subject:	Dead Fish
Date:	8/7/2017 10:08:20 AM

IF you report it they will come. Contact Dept. Of Natural Resources and they will check it out if they haven't already. You might try the local County extension agent also. I think his name is Shane and his office is in the basement of the courthouse.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Dead Fish
Date:	8/7/2017 1:17:31 PM

Haven't seen that on our end of the lake.  I wonder if it has anything to do with the algae growth.  Of course the rapid change of temp in the lake is more likely. 

Name:	Moldyoldy -	Reply
Subject:	Dead Fish
Date:	8/7/2017 7:43:34 PM

I'm no xpert, and people more qualified than I say Martin is not getting polluted, but I was just out by the water this morning and the water was very dark green with a very strong musky fish smell. Seems to be getting worse every year.

Name:	Lifer -	Reply
Subject:	Dead Fish
Date:	8/7/2017 8:24:26 PM

Im no expert either but I don't belive a change in water temp kills fish. Those fish swim through that thermal break everyday. They go deep, below the break, then charge the surface chasing bait fish.

Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	Interesting Study of Lake Martin
Date:	8/7/2017 8:49:40 PM

This is worth reading if you enjoy Lake Martin.

Lake Martin

Name:	HARRY -	Reply
Subject:	Dead Fish
Date:	8/8/2017 3:24:05 PM

Not the change in temperature but the lowering of oxygen levels that kills fish.

Name:	Lifer -	Reply
Subject:	Dead Fish
Date:	8/8/2017 4:58:24 PM

Thats true but low oxygen usually occurs with drought. We are definitely not in a drought. From the reports it sounds like a limited kill off and it seems low oxygen would have had more deadly results. Just speculation on my part. I don't think the fish population is in any danger as a whole.

Name:	smb -	Reply
Subject:	Dead Fish
Date:	8/8/2017 10:23:21 PM

It was interesting that the fish kill only seemed to affect 2 types of fish...shiners about 8" long and fairly good size striped bass.  I saw one striped bass that was probably in the 15-20 pound range.  Going from Blue Creek to Chimney Rock on Sunday, we probably saw more than 10 dead stripes floating on the water.  

Name:	redleg6 -	Reply
Subject:	Dead Fish
Date:	8/9/2017 8:05:05 PM

Here is some pretty good info on why fish kills occur, and I suspect they apply here.

OXYGEN. Usually, it's the lack of oxygen that commonly is the cause of fish kills.  In the summer as surface waters warm, algae proliferate and provide a boost to microscopic life.  That's good until the algae switches from phosynthesis (producing oxygen) to respiration (using oxygen) during low light periods such as at night or during prolonged cloudy periods.  That process leaves less oxygen for fish, which will start dying if they are already under stress from overcrowding, low water levels, or high water temperatures.  

To complicate matters, oxygen gets further depleted when algae starts dying off in large quantities.  Bacteria-driven decomposition then uses up a lot of oxygen, driving down the oxygen concentration in the water even further.

THERMOCLINE AND OXYGEN PROFILES.  An important feature of lakes experiencing seasons is the thermocline.  As the surface waters of a lake warm up in the summer, a temperature gradient is established, with denser colder water near the bottom and warmer water near the top.  That's not at all surprising, except that the temperature change as you go deeper isn't gradual.  Instead, there is a sharp discontinuity a few meters down, with warmer waters above and cold water locked in below.  The dividing line is the thermocline.  This cutting off of the two large masses of water is very significant for fish.

While winds can usually whip around water enough to thoroughly mix it and bring up cold, oxygen-rich water from the depths, the thermocline blocks that process.  Mixing only occurs above the thermocline, keeping the warm waters oxygen-poor and facilitating fish kills.

Dick Bronson/Lake Watch

PS: If anyone out there thinks I'm smart enough to know this stuff, I have the deed to a bridge in Brooklyn for sale.  Cheap.

Name:	BigFoot -	Reply
Subject:	Dead Fish
Date:	8/10/2017 9:05:39 PM

Well, I guess I'm your first bridge prospect then because I do think that.  All the great work you have done with Lake Watch for many years tells me so.  I was hoping you would weigh in on this thread...your input is greatly appreciated!

Name:	wehapa -	Reply
Subject:	Dead Fish
Date:	8/21/2017 2:04:08 PM

Three Saturdays ago, August 5th, we counted 22 dead stripe between Goat Island/Dam and Chimney Rock. Very creepy.

Name:	DVan1901 -	Reply
Subject:	Dead Fish
Date:	8/22/2017 3:33:53 PM

Got this email from the AL Dept of Conservation and Natural Resources