Prospect Park Fish Are Dying by the Dozen

PROSPECT PARK, BROOKLYN — Park wildlife is in flux this week, as a herd of upstate goats return to much unwanted weedery and, now, as dozens — if not hundreds — of fish turn up lifeless on the surface of Prospect Park Lake.

When Brooklyn filmmaker Tyler Chase visited the man-made lake Thursday, she said she observed a "disturbing" amount of dead fish in the water.

"We counted about forty as it was getting dark... but more could be seen out farther," Chase wrote on Instagram.

The Prospect Park Alliance, the body in charge of all park wildlife and operations, is now working with the New York State Department of Environment Conservation (DEC) to determine the cause off this week's mass, mysterious fish die-off.

In a statement provided to Patch, park officials speculated that the heatwave gripping the city, coupled with a lack of rain, could be to blame.

The Prospect Park Lake did experience a sudden decline in its fish population this week. We believe this was due to the extreme heat and lack of rain and wind over the past several weeks. This can cause a severe drop in oxygen levels that endanger fish. The Prospect Park Alliance is working with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to investigate and confirm the cause of this issue.

As for timing, we were first alerted to the situation late Tuesday, and as of today, we have no evidence that additional fish have died.

Some have also speculated that a long summer of blue-green algae blooms in the lake could have become too much for the fish.

"There has been a significant fish die-off in the Prospect Park Lake recently," Dogger, a local dog-walking and -sitting service, wrote on its website Thursday. "Officials are in the process of cleaning up but in the meantime DO NOT let dogs drink or feast on any dead fish along the shore."

State records show "high toxins" were recorded in a "large localized" area of Prospect Park Lake waters during an Aug. 8 lab test. Similar tests in June and July also showed the algae — which can be dangerous, and even fatal, for pets — was at full bloom.

Fish can also be sickened or killed by toxic algae blooms, as the algae depletes oxygen levels in the water.

Prospect Park Lake hosts a variety of fish species — including pumpkinseed sunfish, bluegill and largemouth bass — and is a popular destination for catch-and-release fishing. In fact, the park is scheduled to host a fishing workshop for kids 15 and under on Saturday, Aug. 20.

Lead photo courtesy of Tyler A. Chase, filmmaker