If you see a bunch of dead fish in the Mississippi River -- don't freak out.
Thousands of invasive carp are dead after a likely combination of high temperatures and disease. That's according to Matt Combes with the Missouri Department of Conservation, who said invasive carp die off in small numbers every year, they just usually go unnoticed.
"This year in particular, we've had high water temperatures for a long time," Combes said. "And so the numbers that folks are seeing and reporting and our investigators are seeing are considerably higher than most summers."
Combes says the hot temperatures are weakening the carp, who typically spawn around late April, and most likely leaving them vulnerable to disease. Investigators with the Department of Conservation have begun collecting fresh remains for testing.
Two dead carp in the Mississippi River
Courtesy of the Missouri Department of Conservation
Combes said a die-off like this has both pros and cons.
"These are invasive carp that we don't really want to have here." Combes said. "They've dominated the Mississippi and Missouri River fish communities and they displace other native fish by how they eat, so from that perspective, this die-off is helpful."
On the flip side, a short-term negative is that the fish will decay and smell until they're eaten by other fish or animals.
However, Combes said the amount of dead carp is not a cause for concern unless native fish start dying as well.
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