What Caused Thousands of Fish to Die in Lake Murvaul?

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Lake Murvaul, just outside of Carthage, Texas, is one of my favorite lakes to fish. Especially in the hot summer months, this relatively small impoundment, consistently produces some extremely large bass, and scores of them. I especially love to fish here at night.

So the post I recently read on the Lake Murvaul Campground Marina & Restaurant Facebook page really caught my attention.

They wrote the following:

Dead fish on Lake Murvaul. I have received several messages and phone calls about a lot of dead fish (catfish) floating in Lake Murvaul. I just called our Texas Parks and Wildlife representatives in Marshall Texas. He had 2 biologists out on Murvaul today trying to figure something out. Found some alive but struggling. They were able to secure them and they were sent in to the lab for testing. I will keep you updated as we receive information.

Of course my first thought was that my little known gem had lost those big bass I've grown accustom to catching. But, after reading the comments, it appears that the thousands of dead fish appear to be catfish, bream, small crappie and turtles that have died for mysterious reasons.

According to the Environmental Protection Commission, the leading causes for mass fish kills in lakes includes, "Prolonged cloudy weather, drought conditions, overcrowded fish populations, excessive algal or other plant growths, and high water temperatures."

However, some have posted on the Lake Murvaul Facebook page, speculating that the herbicides being used to spray Giant Salvinia could have something to do with it.

I'll be sure to follow this and let you know if and when Texas Parks and Wildlife releases any findings.