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Fish Deaths in Provo River a Mystery

More than 300 dead fish were found yesterday in a stretch of the Provo River near Paul Ream Wilderness Park in northwest Provo.  Most were brown trout, but there were a few whitefish and other species.  Biologist Chris Crockett with the Division of Wildlife Resources says they don’t know what killed them.  It’s possible the hot weather depleted oxygen in the water, but they’re also trying to find out if there was some kind of toxic spill.

Crockett tells KUER, “We talked to several members of the public who were walking along that reach or lived in that area and told them what had transpired and asked them to kinda keep their eyes open and if there was any indications of what might have caused this to let us know.  We also collected both fish and water samples from that site.”

The brown trout are a game fish that reproduces naturally in the river.  Crockett says there weren’t any June suckers involved – they’re an endangered species that spawns in the lower reaches of the Provo River in the spring. 

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