The City of California reported a fish kill resulting in the death of over 1,000 gizzard shad occurred at Proctor Park on July 9. California worked closely with the Missouri Department of Conversation to investigate the issue.
According to a statement from Mayor Lanny Ash sent to the Democrat by City Attorney Ann Perry, Proctor Park is "managed through an agreement between the City and the Missouri Department of Conservation." Department Fisheries Biologist Scott Williams was sent to evaluate the fish kill.
The statement said Williams found the incident consisted of several hundred gizzard shad, "numbering several hundred to possibly over 1,000 killed." Other fish affected by the fish kill include channel catfish, bluegill and largemouth bass.
"The cause of this fish kill is considered a natural kill due to a planktonic algae bloom. It is suspected that the cloudy weather on Friday, July 7, through Sunday, July 9, caused a dieback of algal cells in the water that then resulted in a drop in the dissolved oxygen level of the lake," the statement said. " It appears likely the lowest oxygen level occurred sometime late Saturday night or early Sunday morning resulting in the most stressed or dying fish."
Williams said this is common during the summer season. He explained weather can cause algae to bloom which lowers the dissolved oxygen levels in the water. Although levels remained low the following two days it did not do any additonal damage. The statement said oxygen levels in the lake recovered on July 12.
"The City will be looking into ways to prevent future occurrences, perhaps including additional plant life and some type of aeration," the statement said. "Mr. Williams did indicate that he did not expect this fish kill to cause any detrimental effect to the sport fish populations in the lake."