Partial fish kill at Rice Lake

Recently, there was a partial fish kill out on Rice Lake due to low oxygen levels. According to Scott Grummer, fisheries biologist at the Iowa DNR, the areas affected were three localized spots, not the entire lake. Warm water has less ability to hold dissolved oxygen. In a 24-hour period, plants and algae are producing oxygen when the sun is up. When darkness sets in, those same plants and algae start a process called respiration where they also use oxygen. When the temperatures were high, Thursday and Friday, July 12-13, the demand for oxygen exceeded what was available in three locations in Rice Lake. Small perch, bluegill, and bass were the most numerous fish lost (pictured above). In one area, there were large walleyes (15”-18”) lost, as well as small juvenile fish. This was only a partial kill and angling should remain good on Rice Lake.