Why Did Thousands of Fish Suddenly Die in a Missouri Lake?

Large fish dies are not unprecedented, but no one knows right now why thousands of fish in a Missouri lake just suddenly expired without any warning that something was wrong.

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I saw a report from Yahoo News that appears to be based on a story by The Kansas City Star regarding a large fish die-off near Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri. Although the number of dead fish is impossible to count accurately, "thousands" was used to describe the number of green sunfish found floating on the water of Brush Creek.

The fish were found in what was described as "rust-colored scum". There was also a shiny sheen on the water's surface. Low oxygen levels in the water and lack of rainfall providing refreshed waterflow are potential reasons for this big fish kill.

You might recall that there was another large number of fish found dead in nearby Olathe, Kansas one month ago.

Large fish die-offs like the one in Kansas City aren't as rare as you might think. The Missouri Department of Conservation estimates that they investigate around 100 fish kills every year with most caused by pollution, chemical spills or natural events like heat and drought.

If you happen upon an event where you find a large number of fish dead, you can report it to the Missouri Department of Conservation through their official website.