We often get photographs and tips from our Bungalower readers of things that are happening around town, so we have started featuring them on the site in a series called “Eyes on the Street,” in honor of our favorite urbanist Jane Jacobs.
Last week, Bungalower friend/reader Jim Hobart, a local photographer, sent us some shots of a suspected fish die-off in Park Lake, near Park Lake Highland school. We sent the photos to the City’s Streets and Stormwater staff who immediately went out to investigate the cause. The results were something we didn’t expect.
“Preliminary findings are believed to be a result of spawning stress, as other tests conducted did not yield other causes. For example, city staff checked the Dissolved Oxygen in the water and the levels were adequate to support a good fish population. Crews did recover some same-sized tilapia along the shoreline. Hence, if it were a water quality issue, we would expect to see other species experiencing problems and/or fish coming to the surface, gasping for air in various parts of the lake. Based on experience, crews believe the few fish deaths are likely due to spawning stress and are not a health issue, which would have otherwise triggered a Lake Alert.”
According to a recent internet deep dive, spawning season is a stressful time of year for fish, both emotionally and metabolically. It requires a lot of energy that can lead to hypoxia, or lack of oxygen in the body to maintain bodily functions. It also makes fish more susceptible to other factors like overcrowding, water temperature changes, and bacterial or fungal infections.
Sounds like quite the party.
Do you have a question you’d like to ask us? Have you seen something that you’d like us to look into for you? Email our editor at [email protected].
