[AT] OT- Fish Kill

[Mogrits]

The "blue dye" John Hall mentions is copper sulfate and we've used it
in the past to kill vegetation in the summer months. The pond never
freezes over hard in winter but it did freeze a couple times this
winter.

I've googled and the verdict for winter fish kills is decaying
vegetation. Nothing to be done about it really, unless I did some
emergency aeration with pumps and diffusers. It fits the bill- there
is a lot of grass decaying right now that's never been there before.

We use no pesticides or fertilizers that could come into play here- I
hesitate to even use roundup nearby if there's any threat of rain.

Luckily, the kill seems to be the smaller bluegill and no largemouth
bass. We are overpopulated with bluegill anyway and they are stunting
the bass. Besides smelling bad for a few days the biggest downside is
keeping my yellow lab from retrieving the rancid carcasses and
bringing them to the doorstep.

On the plus side, if the snapping turtles do their job this could be a
big summer for turtle stew.

Warren