“If a lot of fish other than shad start showing up dead, then we may want to investigate and see if this was something other than a result of winter kill. The mechanism shad have for dealing with being a fragile species is that they are extremely prolific spawners.”Īs the spring thaw continues, he expects that residents will see more over the next few weeks. “Usually you don’t even ever notice much of a dip in their numbers because they rebound so quickly. While the die-offs are unsightly to residents, they don’t completely eliminate the shad even though at times it appears the kills were pretty devastating. “Shad numbers tend to be high, which is usually the case at most of the reservoirs in central and southern Indiana where they are found,” he said. Geist Reservoir has a high number of large population of shad. As a result, winter die-offs are not uncommon with winter conditions such as this past year,” he said. “Shad are pretty fragile fish that are more sensitive to cold water and lower oxygen levels than many other species in our lakes. “I expect to hear about and see this at other lakes,” he said.įish kills happen when the ice on a frozen water body has been covered with snow for any length of time. Most of the reservoir is surrounded by private homes with boat docks however, Geist Marina offers public access to the water via a boat ramp and. Anglers come to this 1,800-acre reservoir to catch gamefish, including largemouth bass, channel catfish, and walleye. He explained that what has happened on Geist Reservoir happens quite frequently at many Indiana lakes that have abundant populations of shad following a winter where there are long stretches of cold temperatures and extended periods of ice. Geist Reservoir, located just northeast of Indianapolis, is a prime fishing spot. I am not surprised that there are lots of dead or struggling shad, I’d actually be more surprised if there weren’t,” said Rhett Wisener, IDNR fish biologist. “Most accounts so far are that the vast majority of the dead fish are gizzard shad. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources agrees. The Geist Lake Coalition addressed concerns of homeowners along the waterfront, saying there’s nothing to worry about. WISH-TV reports the Indiana Department of Environmental Management says there are currently no concerns with the water affecting people at the reservoir.Last week, residents with homes on Geist Reservoir expressed concern about seeing a higher than usual number of dead fish floating on the water. He says the fish had "thick white slime" and unusual dots on them. Russ Chargualaf tells The Indianapolis Star that he and others saw more than 100 bluegill and redears floating along the shoreline during a weekend fishing tournament. It's not unusual for dead fish to turn up as the weather warms in the spring, but the Indiana Department of Natural Resources says this week it's investigating the fish deaths. Indiana officials are working to determine what caused the deaths of fish found with slime and splotches on them at Geist Reservoir. The DNR does not believe the die-off will not have an impact on the fish population in the reservoir. The statement cited a possible fungal or bacterial infection as the cause of the die-off, which it said often happens this time of year when fish are already stressed from winter. The agencies also took live fish that showed signs of infection for testing. WRTV-TV reports the DNR and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management inspected the northern shoreline of Geist Reservoir on Tuesday and found 10 to 15 dead redear sunfish. The agency said in a statement Wednesday the deaths have the "appearances of a small, natural die-off of some sunfish species." INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says the deaths of fish in Geist Reservoir appear to be natural.
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