The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries reminds the public that high-water temperatures, extended cloudy weather and storms may lead to freshwater fish kills. Fish kills should be reported to the Department by following the instructions on our fish kill webpage.
Since warm water has a lower capacity for storing oxygen than cool water, oxygen levels required to support fish life in shallow Louisiana aquatic habitats often exist within a delicate balance. Certain conditions can cause the scales to tip in the wrong direction, trapping fish in hypoxic (low oxygen) water, resulting in a fish kill.
Conditions that can lead to a fish kill include: low or stagnant water, extended excessive hot weather, heavy rainfall, floodwater receding from forested floodplains, extended cloudy weather, decaying debris/vegetation in the water, turbid runoff, or nutrient-laden runoff. The bayous, marshes and ponds in the southern part of the state are particularly vulnerable to hypoxia, or the depletion of oxygen in the water.
