Thousands of Dead Fish Found in Louisiana Pond

Thousands of fish have been found dead in a pond in Prairieville, Louisiana, WAFB reported, victims of a phenomenon known as fish kill.

Robbie Maxwell, an inland fisheries technical advisor for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fishers told WAFB: "When we have less oxygen in the water, it is obviously going to be hard for them to breathe. Sometimes, just those still hot days will lead to a fish kill. Sometimes, when you have a rainstorm…it turns the water over so…you have even lower oxygen in the water coming out the bottom."

Although fish kill is not uncommon, it is quite a complex phenomenon, LDWF says on its website.

The kills usually aren't caused by pollution, but rather, by changes in the surrounding environment.

This can involve a lack of oxygen in water or a change in its acidity or salinity. Although just one of these factors may not be enough to kill thousands of fish, when they are combined, many fish can die and the result can provide a shocking sight.

As the recent fish kill in Louisiana was reported in a smaller pond, over-population or an increase in chemicals in the water may be the cause, WAFB reported. But most fish kills in large bodies of water can be put down to a lack of oxygen.

Excessive algae growths can cause oxygen levels in water to decrease. When there is an excessive amount of nutrients in the water, this can cause harmful algae blooms. These blooms will then decompose, consuming the water's oxygen in the process.

This can be incredibly harmful to marine life, which can suffocate as a result.

Earlier this month, thousands of menhaden fish washed ashore on a Texas beach after suffocating.

Julie Hagen, a spokesperson for the Coastal Fisheries Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department told Newsweek: "Fish kills like this are common in the summer when temperatures increase. If there isn't enough oxygen in the water, fish can't 'breathe.' Low dissolved oxygen in many cases is a natural occurrence."

Hagen added that daily variations in dissolved oxygen concentration can be attributed to photosynthesis and aerobic respiration.

"Increased dissolved oxygen during the day is a result of photosynthesis, which is driven by sunlight," Hagen said. "Photosynthesis stops at night and may slow down on cloudy days, but plants and animals in the water continue to respire and consume free oxygen, decreasing the dissolved oxygen concentration. Often before a kill event occurs, fish can be seen trying to get oxygen by gulping at the surface of the water early in the morning. Some fish may also be lying on the bottom or at the edge of the water."

As climate change worsens, scientists expect fish kills may increase, as the ocean continues to warm.

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