The weather has not been kind recently to the marine life in Lake Panorama, which has resulted in the death of a large amount of fish.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Lake Panorama staff have observed several dead or dying fish in the lake, with seemingly no pattern. The deaths included several species of fish, such as catfish, bass, carp, walleyes, and more. The diversity of the fish indicates there was no virus or disease affecting them. Additionally, it was noted the small fish population seemed unaffected, which indicates there was no chemical cause.

After their investigation, the DNR and lake staff have theorized the deaths were caused by rising lake temperatures and a lack of oxygen. The shallows of the lake have reached temperatures as high as 87 degrees, and that decreases the amount of oxygen in the water. When temperatures rise, fish need to move into deeper, cooler water, but often the fish don’t realize they should do so and it results in large fish kills like this.

The DNR is monitoring Lake Panorama and several other lakes for similar circumstances.