Fish kill questions

[airborne_angler]

I have heard of fish kills and seen their results in pics.

Question I have is why when there is a fish kill,do the fish go to the surface?

I know everyday of every year theres at least a few fish that die naturally in my home lake,but I never see any floaters.

Why do  fish kill victims float to the surface,while fish that die naturally dont?

[HuntFishAK]

I'm guessing it has something to do with their swim bladders, especially if pulled from deeper water as they don't have a chance to equalize their boyuancy.  As far as fish that die of natural causes, I think some may float but once the gas escapes, they sink.  This is all just speculation though.

[SuskyDude]

Simply put: Some float, some don't. Regardless of how they die.

You've never seen a dead fish floating in the water in your life? Thats a head scratcher.

[gobig]

When death occurs and the organs decompose gases form. Its kinda like a balloon. Its just a lot more unpleasant when it pops.

[Dan:]

As far as I understand sometimes fish sink to the bottom when they die. A fish kill can occur without any floaters.

[Nibbles]

Fish usually do go belly up before they die. During a fish kill, you are more likely to see them floating belly up because a lot of them die in a short period of time, increasing your chances. When fish die of natural causes, it's usually not all at once, and a lot of them get eaten by scavengers before you get a chance to spot them.

[airborne_angler]

Simply put: Some float, some don't. Regardless of how they die.

You've never seen a dead fish floating in the water in your life? Thats a head scratcher.

Of course I have seen floaters,but Im sure that every day of year that at least a few fish die of natural causes(Old age,disease). This being the case,I expect to see more dead fish than I do.

My home lake is stocked with trout which are a cold water fish. Im sure lots die in the hot weather we have...Where are they? They sure aint floating.

[SuskyDude]

Simply put: Some float, some don't. Regardless of how they die.

You've never seen a dead fish floating in the water in your life? Thats a head scratcher.

Of course I have seen floaters,but Im sure that every day of year that at least a few fish die of natural causes(Old age,disease). This being the case,I expect to see more dead fish than I do.

My home lake is stocked with trout which are a cold water fish. Im sure lots die in the hot weather we have...Where are they? They sure aint floating.

How big's the lake? Do you cover every inch of the lake every day?

Could racoons, birds or other scavengers be getting to them before you see them?

Could they be raising to the surface and then sinking back down?

Could be lots of things.

Perhaps PaulRoberts or someone can come around with a more definitive answer

[rboat]

I believe you are correct. They will float first due to trapped air & gasses. This is normally when they are consumed by birds, esp; raptors. If they are pushed to shore by wind, other scavengers will feast. In a large body of water they may float until the gasses escape and sink to the bottom where turtles, crawdads, leeches and other fish may feed. Depending where you live, you may have many scavengers and thats why you do not see many dead fish.

[Frogman]

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/bass-fishing-fish-biology.html

That is a really good video on the subject