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YANKTON, S.D. (AP) — Wildlife officials have used poison to kill all the fish in Lake Yankton in southeastern South Dakota to remove carp and other undesirable species.
Flooding in 2011 caused water from the Missouri River to spill into the lake just west of Yankton, leading to an increasing number of invasive species. Work crews dumped about 700 gallons of rotenone into the lake on Wednesday to rid the lake of all fish, the Yankton Daily Press and Dakotan reports (http://bit.ly/1CVHQD8 ).
Officials in South Dakota and neighboring Nebraska were worried about game fish such as bass, bluegill, catfish and walleye being crowded out.
Shortly after the chemical was put into the lake, fish began floating to the surface, which created a feeding frenzy for gulls and other birds, which are unaffected by the fish poison.
The lake at Gavins Point Dam was lowered about four feet and anglers were allowed liberal fishing limits in preparation for the fish kill.
Officials said the poison is expected to take a week to detoxify, and the dead fish will be allowed to decompose in the lake.
Lake levels will be returned to normal shortly, and some fish will be restocked this fall, with more restocking slated for 2015, officials said.
In 1980, officials also killed off the lake's fish with chemicals so they could give game fish a fresh start.
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Information from: Yankton Press and Dakotan, http://www.yankton.net/
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