I would guess that it may be a type of disease that's specific to Gizzard Shad only. When you get very high populations of any animal living in very close proximity the spread of disease can be very rapid. But I do agree that it was a good thing that should help lower the GS population for a while. Many scientists understand the population dynamics of different species. Populations can build up and then crash from disease or lack of food. I wonder if the population crash of the GS will help the sunfish population expand as maybe they will have more food than before. With less GS in the lake. GS eat the same food sources that the sunfish eat.Were the variations in the lake's surface temperature greater than in the past few years?
Quote Originally Posted by MikeAxsom View Post
We have not been able to actually determine a precise cause for the shad kill, but we have eliminated some possibilities. The most likely cause, after talking with IDNR biologists, seems to be the rapid change of surface temperature during the two 80+ degree days we had late last week. This caused surface temps to rise quickly, and may also have caused some water column mixing more rapidly than the average spring warm up. This theory is supported by the almost totally selectivity to shad in the kill. We'll take the shad kill as a bonus, and we really needed it to happen.

There has been no chemical treatment for fisheries management, and the only explanation I can give for the scum seen in some shallow areas is decaying vegetation caused from silt covering plants during the recent floods. Those floods are also the cause of the lingering turbidity of the water; although that is clearing more daily now.