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© Brandon Hurley
Local DNR officials say an overabundance of white bass may have caused a recent die-off at Silver Lake near Lake Park in recent weeks.

Silver Lake had a large population of 12- to 14-inch bass, according to fisheries biologist Mike Hawkins. When fish or wildlife populations become overpopulated, the transmission of diseases becomes more frequent. Hawkins said he received three calls from concerned homeowners who saw a large number of dead fish on the shore.

"We associate it with a very large class that is all five years old," Hawkins said. "We didn't anticipate the kill but it's not a huge surprise that a huge class like this could succumb to a bacterial infection. Most likely it's something that will run it's course in the population and will affect mostly those age 5 fish. It did get a lot of attention but they looked to all be the same size and same fish. You can quickly start to put the pieces of the puzzle together on a number of fish kills, whether it's natural or caused by a pollutant."

The disease affecting the fish is not transmissible to humans and residents are not in any danger.

"Some species are a little more susceptible to diseases," he said. "When a population becomes overabundant -- and white bass are schooling fish, they are in close proximity to each other -- and if the population is very high, they can be in stressed conditions because there are so many fish out there. If there is a disease it can spread very rapidly."

An overpopulation of fish can happen on occasion, when perfect environmental conditions and when predators are absent during a spawn. Hawkins said the DNR sampled the remaining white bass population and will continue tests to determine the specific cause of the die-off.

Since natural conditions caused the die-off, Hawkins said his agency won't orchestrate a clean-up. If homeowners become bothered by the smell or the sight of the dead fish, they can bury the fish in the sand or toss them in a composite pile.

"In this heat and in this sunlight, because the fish aren't very big, it won't take very long for decomposition," he said.

Hawkins also said anglers are unlikely to catch an infected fish because if they are sick, they won't be biting.