Lake San Antonio closes after thousands of dead fish wash up on its shore

Thousands of dead fish were washed ashore at a recreational lake in Monterey County.

Small fish species such as minnows began appearing on the shores of Lake San Antonio over the Fourth of July weekend. Over the following week, larger fish such as catfish, bass and trout also began to die out, according to the Monterey County Parks Department.

“Nobody can remember when we have ever seen such a large-scale extinction,” said Bryan Flores, Monterey County parks director.

Flores said the lake was closed until further notice for safety reasons.

“The only effective way to keep people away from the water would be to close the park completely. So it was a difficult decision for us, but we asked the few campers who were there to pack their things and be ready to leave the next day,” he said.

So far there is no conclusive theory about the cause of the fish deaths.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Monterey County Environmental Health Department have collected water samples and plan to test for biological and non-biological factors that could affect the fish.