Winter kills hits some N'West Iowa ponds
REGIONALâHiking by the water may be something to avoid for a few weeks this spring as some NâWest Iowa ponds and shallow lakes experience winter kill. Winter kill is a seasonal event where fish wash up on shorelines and beaches in the spring after ice clears off lakes. Mike Hawkins, a biologist for the Spirit Lake District Fisheries of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, explained that winter kill happens when oxygen levels get too low. âItâs like a bank, youâve only got so much oxygen there and as you use it up or take oxygen out of the system through biologica...