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TOOELE — Several dead fish were found at Stansbury Park Lake in Tooele, leaving many with questions about the odd sight.
Neighbors started noticing that several smelly fish were lined up around the lake after washing upon land. The fish were dead and frozen. Their presence was easily recognized because of the smell.
Scott Totman, a resident who takes care of the lake, said the lake has been frozen for more than 12 weeks — longest on record — which caused a problem for the fish.
"The lake has been sealed off like a mason jar, and it's been stagnant with snow too," Totman said. "No sun has gotten through, so photosynthesis stopped. It's like they were swimming in their own urine.
"The problem with that is it aggravated their gills and put the fish in a high stress condition," Totman added. "It made it hard for them to breathe oxygen."
As a result, more than 100 fish died off and washed upon land. While the incident is not unusual for this time of the year, the amount of dead fish is uncommon.
Totman said he had to cut through more ice to help bring the remaining fish to the surface. Nevertheless, some fishermen are still throwing out a line while ignoring the smell.
"It's like rotten eggs to the fullest extent," said fisherman Damien Gutierez.
