Winter Fish Kill Hits Home

Winter Fish Kill has hit home, harder than I can ever recall.  Not everybody has heard of it, but you will soon see it or smell it in every small body of water in the area;Hundreds of dead fish either floating or sinking, rotting away for wildlife to get an easy dinner.

A Winter Fish Kill occurs during long extended winters, where ice becomes so thick and covered with snow, that sunlight can not penetrate the waters.  Soon the aquatic life dies, and the body of water begins to lack the necessary amounts of oxygen levels to support life.  As more and more fish die, even more amounts of oxygen are depleted from the water and the situation worsens.  Winter Fish Kill is often seen in smaller, shallower bodies of water, where fish are dying of pure suffocation.

While Biologists claim this to be nothing out of the ordinary and just part of a life-cycle, I still see a major problem with prevention.  Today, I went out and walked the Crossings Pond in Buffalo Grove, IL where I was highly saddened and disappointed by the sight of hundreds of dead fish along the shore.  It looks like the majority of the dead are Carp and Blue Gill, but a good dozen Largemouth Bass are seen throughout the Pond; I can only imagine what the bottom of the water looks like.  What is most alarming to me, is that these ponds have aerators and fountains installed, intended to help maintain O2 levels and the health of the Ponds;But, none of them are running. 

We have known for the last couple months of the potential of a mass Winter Fish Kill, but reacting to prevent the issue from worsening was never seen.  Biologists recommend looking for the start of Winter Kill in February if we have not seen a mid-winter thaw, and to immediately begin testing O2 Levels.  They suggest drilling holes and starting aerators early to reduce the death rates.  Yet, it is now April, the ice is 100% melted - and, the aerators still remain off.

If we are going to have Park Districts in charge of maintaining ponds, we need to spread the word of education.  Now, most of these ponds will have to be re-stocked, monitored closely, and take 2-3 years for a full recovery.  The cost of energy savings from not running the aerators, will get reversed from a re-stocking.  As a local fisherman, the sight I witnessed today is very discouraging.  One of the secret honey hole ponds around here to catch monster Bass, is now a graveyard, and it could have been prevented with a little awareness.  This is a call to action, for our local park districts to put a little more research in, react quicker, and make sure they do everything in their part to never let it get this bad ever again.  

When I reported the fish kill to the IDNR, Kimberly Anne Stanhope responded..."Thank you for getting in touch. I have carbon copied the IDNR county fisheries biologist on this email so he is aware of the situation at Crossings Pond"..."Aerators would have definitely helped, as would clearing snow from the ice to allow sunlight to penetrate, thus giving plants an opportunity to photosynthesize and feed the fish.  Even ponds with aerators had issues with fish kills this winter, but probably not to the extent that you have seen."