REDMOND, OR -- Dozens of dead fish were found on the banks of Redmond’s Fireman’s Pond earlier this week. About a month ago, the pond was stocked with around 250 trout and it’s not unusual to lose a few. But Dusty Hood, Redmond’s Parks and Facilities Manager, admits the 75 to 80 that died between Saturday and Monday is a much higher rate than normal. 

He blames a combination of factors, including difficulty acclimating, "From where they come from to the new water." He says the water temperature also rose rapidly, "It has been nicer the last couple days, considerably. Over the last couple weeks, the last few days have been nicer consistently - and warmer." Hood notes, "Trout are not as hardy as your warm water fish, like your bass and your crappie, so they’re more sensitive to the adjustments in temperatures, especially the water. Even right after they’d planted them, there was some die-off - not to this extent. But we’ve pulled out half a dozen here, 10 or 12 there, over the last couple weeks. But this was the largest die-off."

Perhaps the biggest factor is an equipment failure. Hood tells KBND News the pond is supposed to have four working aerators, "What it does, it actually allows oxygen into the water to help the fish breathe. We had one of those aerators go down. So, if we have fish congregate in a certain part of the pond where the aerator is down, it’ll have that negative effect on that part of the pond." He says it’s fixed, although a few dead fish remain in the water, "We stop by there every morning to do our Parks Run checks. So, we check the pond for any dead fish in the pond that we can actually reach."

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