Utah wildlife authorities investigate after 500 dead fish found in pond

HERRIMAN, Utah – The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has closed a fishing pond after hundreds of dead fish were found Monday morning.

DWR officials said they received a report of dead fish at Cove Pond in Herriman. Biologists were dispatched to the pond and estimated there were 500 dead fish, although they added the number could be even higher. Most of the dead fish were catfish, along with a few bluegills and sunfish.

Utah Department of Wildlife Resources

Biologists found the pond had “lethally low dissolved oxygen levels,” according to the DWR, which likely led to the fish kills. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality and local authorities are currently investigating the cause of the low oxygen levels and any other factors that may have contributed.

The pond is currently closed to fishing while the agency investigates the incident. The DWR also advised against eating any fish caught in the pond on Monday “out of an abundance of caution.”

Utah Department of Wildlife Resources