At Least 10,000 Fish Die In Great Salt Plains Lake

CHEROKEE, Okla. (AP) _ Drought and triple-digit temperatures are taking a toll on fish in the Great Salt Plains Lake. <br/><br/>Wildlife Department officials say at least 10,000 more fish have died in

Thursday, August 10th 2006, 1:06 pm

By: News On 6

CHEROKEE, Okla. (AP) _ Drought and triple-digit temperatures are taking a toll on fish in the Great Salt Plains Lake.

Wildlife Department officials say at least 10,000 more fish have died in the northwestern Oklahoma lake, making it one of the worst fish kills in recent history.

Barry Bolton, the department's assistant chief of fisheries, says high temperatures and low water levels are to blame for the massive fish kill. The combination causes insufficient oxygen in the water for fish to survive.

In late July, more than 1,000 fish were found dead in the tailwaters below the Great Salt Plains dam in the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River. This time, dead fish are floating in the reservoir.

The number of dead fish represents only a fraction of the lake's fish population.