BLUE SPRINGS, MO (KCTV) -
The virus that recently killed 16,000 carp at Blue Springs Lake has been identified.
Laboratory tests determined that the koi herpes virus killed the carp that were first reported at the lake in late May, Jake Allman, a fishery biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation said.
The State Department of Conservation said Wednesday that the fish kill in the Blue Springs Lake appears to have affected only carp and that other varieties of sport fish at the lake have not been affected.
Because carp are an invasive species, the losses could benefit other sport fish that compete for food and habitat in the lake, the department said.
Blue Springs Lake remains safe for fishing, boating and swimming because this virus cannot be transmitted to humans, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Allman said that the high number of carp in the Blue Springs Lake probably played a part in the severity of the outbreak. While the water quality of lake does not appear to be a factor, the water temperature played a major role in this outbreak because outbreaks typically occur when water temperatures are 72 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. The Missouri Department of Conservation believes that the outbreak should be over with the increasing water temperatures and the reduced number of carp.
The virus could have been introduced by someone dumping unwanted bait, koi or goldfish into the lake, Allman said. The Missouri Department of Conservation asks that people dispose of unused bait on dry ground.
Blue Springs is one of two lakes in Fleming Park.
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