Syracuse.com - DEC: Fish kill of gizzard shad reported on Oneida Lake in Bridgeport

[HuntingNY-News]

David Lemon, the DEC's regional fisheries manager for Region 7, said there's reports of "tens of thousands" of this dead baitfish in one particular area.

DEC photo

David Lemon, the DEC's regional fisheries manager for Region 7, said this afternoon that there's a fish kill involving "tens of thousands" of gizzard shad on the shore of Oneida Lake in Bridgeport.

He said they are extremely abundant in the lake this year. He said great numbers of young gizzard shad, measuring about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in length, have crowded into at least two marinas. In one of them, they have balled up in a partially enclosed area.

Most of the dead fish are reportedly from this one particular area where they just don't seem to be finding the way out -- and as a result have depleted the oxygen content in the water, Lemon said.

Gizzard shad grow up to 10 to 14 inches long as adults.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog