by Nick Beres
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Environmental engineers think they have solved the riddle of why thousands of goldfish and koi died in a Murfreesboro pond.
They think lack of oxygen in the water suffocated the fish. But, the big mystery was why those two variety of fish were in Gateway pond at all.
Sam Huddleston, the city’s environmental engineer, said they only stocked the pond with grass carp.
“I was surprised to see so many of these fish dead in the pond,” said Huddleston.
Huddleston believe pet owners who grew tired of their fish or had them outgrow their tanks dumped them into the pond.
“They do tend to be hardy and because they produce so many offspring at once it would not be unlikely for them to overwhelm an ecosystem,” said Evelyn Kiviniemi with Animal City in Murfreesboro.
Experts said it’s likely the goldfish and koi overwhelmed the ponds ecosystem contributing to the fish kill.
TWRA confirmed that it is illegal to dump non-native fish into the state’s rivers, streams and ponds.
Past Stories:
- Aug. 19: Crews Work To Clean Up Dead Fish Before Wedding
- Aug. 18: 3,000 Fish Found Dead In Murfreesboro Pond
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Article source: http://www.newschannel5.com/story/15335601/murfreesboro-fish-kill-mystery-revealed