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Low Oxygen Smothers Fish at Branson Trout Hatchery

Branson Convention and Visitors Bureau
/
Flickr

A large fish kill has been reported a southwest Missouri hatchery.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that foul-smelling water coming out of Table Rock Lake dam killed scores of trout at the Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery. The state conservation department says the fish kill can be traced to heavy rains, hot weather and an algae die-off that depleted water quality.

The hatchery is located near the base of the dam and is Missouri's largest trout hatchery, producing 1.25 million fish a year. Most of the fish are stocked into Lake Taneycomo downstream from the hatchery.

Hatchery officials are working to determine how many fish died.

Hatchery staff have been moving some of the surviving fish to other hatchery areas with better water quality.

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