Low oxygen levels kill thousands of fish in Yazoo River

VICKSBURG, Miss. (WLBT) - The banks of the Yazoo River riddled with bloated, decaying fish Tuesday.

Thousands of them now on the edge of this boat ramp in Vicksburg, keeping Grant Jones from getting too close.

“I’ll bring my son down here. I let him throw the little rocks in the water normally but now you know, we got the fish," he said.

The trail of fish started further up to the river. Layne Logue and his Quapow Canoe Company noticed it.

“I paddled this past Sunday and that’s when I really saw the full extent of all the dead fish,” said Logue; “I’m taking people out here and canoes and we want to see the beauty of nature and we’re seeing dead fish everywhere.”

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality tested the water this week. When the Steel Bayou floodgates opened last Thursday, the oxygen levels in the water decreased.

Thousands of fish died.

Buzzards now eating away at the fish, but it won’t stop Dallas Hollowell and his cousin from fishing.

Around sunset, Vicksburg Fire Department came and pushed a lot of those fish back into the water.

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