​​Tens to hundreds of spawning fish dying in the spring is to be expected, especially if what you see is mostly pan fish and an assortment of other species like Bass, Perch, probably even a Bullhead, etc.  According to our limnologist George Knoecklein, “We have occasionally seen post spawning mortality—as it is called—affect many more than this. Factor in the winter the fish just came through, making them stressed by living in less than optimum conditions for a long time. They are probably deficient in a number of life functions, such as nutrients, dissolved oxygen, and pH changes; all making the fish more prone to having no energy reserves to make it through spawning, which is an extremely taxing effort.”

If you see anything in or around the lake that you think is unusual, please photograph it and send it to us, indicating where and when it was seen. Our email is: info@copakelakecs.org