Originally Posted by
clc
FRANKFORT, Ky. Research indicates a condition similar to “the bends” in divers likely played a role in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Asian carp in two western Kentucky rivers last month The die-off of invasive silver carp happened in the Cumberland River below Lake Barkley dam and Tennessee River below Kentucky Lake dam “Preliminary results show they’ve got bubbles in the gills,” said Aquatic Nuisance Species Biologist Paul Wilkes of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “You can see it very clearly Gas bubble disease can occur in water supersaturated with dissolved gases, and biologists believe it is a contributing factor in this case Gas supersaturation is something that can happen below dams,” Wilkes said. “When a fish is breathing this water with gas supersaturation it essentially causes an air embolism in the gill, which is similar to a diver getting the bends. A gas bubble will get trapped in the gill tissue of a fish and prevent blood circulation.”
Complete article can be found on fish and wildlife web page, pick fish tab then the more tab.