State wildlife officials said winter weather often causes large fish die offs in Michigan. Ice cover on lakes and streams reduces oxygen levels and aquatic life essentially suffocates. Now, the DNR is announcing an online system for people to report mass quantities of dead fish that surface in the spring.
The online form is the newest addition to the DNR’s public reporting surveys. The program, called “Eyes in the Field”, is used for reporting sightings of things like tagged fish and feral swine, and now sick or dead fish.
Elyse Walter is a DNR spokesperson. She said the new form is called - logically enough - “sick or dead aquatic species”.
“It consists of a form where it invites the public to report instances where they have found fish kills. So, groups of fish 25 or larger in a particular water body or just instances where they might see fish or other aquatic species behaving in an unusual manner”.
Walter said the state will analyze the information to determine if further investigation required.
On the web: “Eyes in the Field”
https://secure1.state.mi.us/ORS/Home