Massive Shad Kill at Nickajack Dam

[rsimms]

Massive Shad Kill at Nickajack Dam

Details at: http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_104881.asp

 

[BackOnTheWater]

Scary...emoScratch

 

[Chasin'bait]

Is the same thing going on at other dams like, Watts Bar or Melton Hill or Cordell Hull?

 

[polo-dog]

If you remember, there has been a big shad kill in Wolftever creek that happened in February. That's why the eagles were there and the huge number of sea gulls back in the creek for about two weeks. It sounds like the two kills are not related.

 

[rsimms]

polo-dog - 4/4/2007 2:26 PM

If you remember, there has been a big shad kill in Wolftever creek that happened in February. That's why the eagles were there and the huge number of sea gulls back in the creek for about two weeks. It sounds like the two kills are not related.

Correct... not related. Kill on Chickamauga was due to shad stressed by extreme cold water temps. Nickajack due to too many fish in confined space. Chasin' Bait.... I've heard no reports from other Dams. Nickajack is somewhat unique in regard to it's "dead lock." Most Dams have some flow and/or water releases in the lock areas that keep things somewhat "stirred up." However the dead lock at Nickajack is just that.... about 100 yard dead-end raceway. Get a million threadfin shad into that confined space with absolutely no water flow and they'll suck the oxygen out of the water in a hurry. From what BigFishGuide reported to me, the number of threadfin he's been finding has been absolutely amazing this year. Obviously a very successful year down in Guntersville... but with die-off, it'll be interesting to see what happens now.

 

[xroadsbasser]

Evidently the same thing has happened in the cave lake.......a friend of mine was in there this morning and said the banks over by the church were covered with dead shad....looked like a snow covered bank from a distance!

 

[Liveliner]

The fish trapped in the lock was the fault of man made devices. However Wolftever and the shad die-off at Cave Lake was natures way. I suspect that there was a bumper crop of bait fish over the last couple years. It takes a lot of plankton to feed the millions of shad moving up the river. I can imagine they feed constantly in order for them to be able to sustain energy to travel as they do. A die off insures that there will be enough food for the rest while at the same time they feed larger fishes and wildlife. The wildlife who depend on things like this in nature seems to know when die-offs will occur. For the example, the thousands of Sea Gulls that moved into The Wolftever area as the die-off took place. The bass that were in that area were fat as footballs because of all the floundering baitfish.