Dead bream

[kirisute]

Can anyone offer input on this situation?

Fairly small lake maybe ; depth of between 3-7 feet.

Spring fed with very little water level fluctuation. Good bodies of Canadian pond weed around the edges.

Stocked with carp, roach, tench and bream.

Last 2 days have seen 8 dead bream! I've examined them and they show no sign of predatory involvement and all look healthy.

No other dead species: all fish are about a foot long with one being a bigger fish.

All fish show the slight pink/redish tinge of spawning on their flanks but no nodules.

 

My guess is spawning stress and possible lack of oxygen...exhaustion and getting caught in the airweed?

But anything else I could look for?

Edited August 16, 2013 by kirisute

[Anderoo]

Sounds like spawning casualties, possibly brought on by the combination of long cold spring and very hot summer.

[Steve Walker]

I remember when I was a kid that the bream stocked into small waters tended to be seen more often expiring in hot weather than in someone's landing net.

[RUDD]

Possible keepnet casualties?

Could be disease, if so there will be more dead fish on the bottom as they front all float.

Bream tend to be the first species to cop it when a water gets hit with a new disease. I do hope this is not the case.

[kirisute]

Keep nets not allowed anyway....wouldn't smaller fish succumb to disease first?

[Phone]

Kiri,

 

Yes - - and sink quicker.

 

Phone

[philocalist]

Any chance that they've been recently 'introduced' to the lake? Most fish farms are wary of delivering bream much after about March, as they don't travel well at the best of times, and are VERY prone to going fins-up if put into a new lake when the water has even started to warm up a bit, let alone now, in August.

[Phone]

Kiri,

 

Have you looked for gill maggots? Tapeworms are very common in bream?

 

Lethal temperature for bream is between 33 - 34 C. so that must not be the problem

 

Seems they can handle pretty low O2 levels. 2 to 2.5 mg/l so I doubt that is the problem.

 

Carp, crucian carp, tench and ruff are superioUr at finding available food. (??)

 

Here, you look - http://www.fao.org/docrep/017/69608e/69608e.pdf

 

Phone

[Colin Brett]

Get the EA to check the Dissolved Oxygen levels. Hydrogen Peroxide is their go to method. Worthwhile getting a Venturi pump in the lake to increase Oxygen. Failing that get air stones [bubblers] in there. Do you have an electricity supply close enough to get these aids installed? If all esle fails call the fire brigade.

[Phone]

Kiri,

 

You do know "springs" are notoriously low in dissolved oxygen? Colin is right and be sure the "BOTTOM" is the check point. Spring water is usually cooler and nearer the bottom.

 

Phone