Officials stumped by hundreds of dead fish found in pond: 'Still being investigated'
Utah officials recently found hundreds of dead fish floating in Cove Pond in Salt Lake County. Most of the dead fish were catfish, and officials believe that they were suffocated.
Utah state officials are currently investigating a local pond after hundreds of dead fish were found floating on top of the water.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources confirmed the incident to Fox News Digital. A spokesperson explained that officials were alerted to the incident at Cove Pond in Salt Lake County on Monday morning.
"Our biologists responded to the scene and confirmed that there are an estimated 500 dead fish in the pond, but the number may be higher," the official said.
"The majority of the fish that died are catfish, but there are also a few bluegills and green sunfish that died, as well."
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Biologists from the Division of Wildlife Resources tested the dissolved oxygen levels of the pond and found that they were "lethally low," which likely caused the deaths of the fish.
"Circumstances that contributed to low dissolved oxygen levels and possible other factors are still being investigated by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality and the local authorities," the spokesperson added.
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"The pond is currently closed to fishing while the incident is being investigated."
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources official told Fox News Digital that the department stocks the pond with trout and catfish, but will refrain from adding new fish amid the investigation.
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"It may be some time before the pond is restocked, so we encourage anglers to fish other waterbodies until further notice," the spokesperson added.
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Anglers are also being warned not to consume any fish from Cove Pond.
"We recommend that anglers do not eat any fish they may have harvested from the pond on June 24 out of an abundance of caution," the official said.
Authorities are actively investigating the incident. There are no additional details at this time.