Game and Parks dealing with fish kills in Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. - A number of Nebraska lakes have recently seen many fish wash ashore due to contributing factors in fish kills. 

Lakes such as Benson Park Pond in Omaha and Pioneer Trails in Aurora, as well as several private waters, have seen high numbers of fish kills. While it may be alarming, Daryl Bauer of the Nebraska Game and Parks fisheries division says it's a yearly occurrence. It's caused by low oxygen levels in water, with cloudy days followed by heat. 

"That can create a situation, usually overnight, where oxygen levels sag to the point where you get some dead fish," Bauer said. "We've had a few reports of those this summer, mostly in the eastern part of the state, and mostly in smaller bodies of water where there's likely to be lower oxygen levels."

While some cases are worse than others, Bauer says the impact on fish populations depends on several factors. 

"Some cases there will be minimal impacts, some cases it'll set the fisheries back a few years," Bauer said. "It just all depends on how severe it is and how severe the conditions all were and there's really no predicting it until you can get in after it's over and see what all survived."