Southern African Journal of Aquatic Sciences · 1996 · 32 citations · 4 references
Natural ResourcesEcologyFisheriesFish BiologyFish EcologyFreshwater FisheriesEstuarine Fish EcologyFish Predation EcologyFreshwater Fish EcologyLake FisheriesMortality ProcessesSea Surface TemperatureCold Spell ClimatologyEstuarine Fish Environmental ResponsesEstuarine Fish MortalityFish Killing EventsFish KillsFish MortalityLake Fish MortalityTemperature Effects On Fish
Summary An unusually cold spell during the winter of 1987 caused a drop in water temperature at Lake St Lucia. This coupled with typical estuarine salinities in the lake resulted in a fish kill. The kill was one of the largest recorded in a South African estuarine environment and involved an estimated 250,000 fish comprising at least 21 species. Most fish that died belonged to small species. Densities of dead fish recorded along the lake's shoreline ranged from 0.1 to 16.6 fish per metre. It is concluded that the combination of low water temperature and near marine salinities was the major cause of the 1987 fish kill at Lake St Lucia.
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