Nature Atlas

How Nature Works
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Natural Phenomena

Fish Kill

Biological and Seasonal Phenomena

Citation Formats

General Reference

APA Style

BibTeX

A sudden, localized die-off of fish and other aquatic animals within a body of water, most often caused by a rapid depletion of dissolved oxygen following an algal bloom's collapse, a sudden temperature change, disease, or the release of pollutants or agricultural runoff. Large fish kills can leave thousands of dead fish floating on a lake or river's surface within a single day and serve as a highly visible warning sign of a broader water-quality problem.

Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Eutrophication, Natural Phenomena

Eutrophication-driven oxygen depletion, as algae and bacteria consume dissolved oxygen while decomposing bloom material, is a well-documented direct cause of fish kill events.

Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.

View At A Past Year

The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.