Dead fish washing up by the thousands in Chihuahua lake

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Thousands of fish are washing up dead in a lake in the border state of Chihuahua, and residents of nearby towns are worried the region is on the brink of a major health catastrophe.

Carp and catfish began turning up dead a few weeks ago in the Laguna Bustillos in the town of Anahuac just north of Cuauhtemoc, Mexico. That was a disappointment to government officials who’d been monitoring the growth of fish populations to promote recreational fishing.

But as temperatures started to rise and lake levels already low from irrigation outflows and lack of rain continued to plummet, the dead fish count soared into the hundreds of thousands, said Anahuac Mayor Saul Sausameda Montes

“Lake levels have been falling because of two years of drought. Because the fish population had increased, they became stranded in shallow water; they are dying for lack of oxygen. This doesn’t have to do with lake contamination or fish disease – it’s because of the drought,” Sausameda told Border Report.

The mayor and local farmers are calling on the help of state and federal authorities to remove the fish before they rot, attract mosquitos and foster the spread of airborne illnesses.

“We have hundreds of thousands of dead fish. Our priority is to stem a health emergency,” said Sausameda, adding he organized a meeting this week with state officials and the army to ask for help.

Farmer Rafael Murillo Arana said he last saw a great fish die-off 20 years ago at the lake. But he never saw these many fish washing up dead.

“The smell (of dead fish) reaches our farms, and we are seeing large numbers of very small mosquitos. We have to keep our houses closed,” he said.

Murillo said timely rain could have prevented the problem, but to have precipitation now would only exacerbate health risks.

“If we don’t pick up the fish, if it rains a little the rain will bring the dead fish to our communities. And there are some schools in the farms with 500 or more children. If disease breaks out, the children will be very vulnerable,” he said.

Bustillos Lake covers a 54 square-mile area. Sausameda says the lake is at 50 percent capacity and falling.

In addition to dead fish, the drought plaguing most of northern Mexico is affecting crops and causing shortages in feed for farm animals. “If we don’t get rain this year, it’s all over. Many people will stop planting,” Murillo said. “It’s been two, three years of lost crops. We need help, we the people and the animals.”

(ProVideo in Chihuahua, Mexico, contributed to this report.)

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