Hundreds of fish die at Piedmont Park’s Lake Clara Meer (Update)
Massive die-off most likely caused by algae bloom
It was an eerie and stinky scene at Piedmont Park today as hundreds of dead fish floated on the surface and washed up on the shores of Lake Clara Meer.
Parkgoers were baffled by the event, which a Georgia Department of Natural Resources official interviewed by the AJC said was most likely caused by algae bloom. When the algae die off, the water’s oxygen can dissolve. If that was what caused today’s die-off, then the fish essentially suffocated to death.
Underneath dead fish washed ashore, you could spot schools swimming below nipping at the flies landing on the bodies. A spokesman for the Piedmont Park Conservancy, the nonprofit that helps maintain the public park, say it’s likely those fish will also die.
The AJC notes that these events are a common occurrence during the summer in the Southeast. Park officials expect more information to become available in the coming days. Additional DNR officials are scheduled to evaluate the situation on Monday.
After the jump, a statement from the conservancy’s president and CEO and more photos of dead fish.