Algae bloom killing fish in Stampede Reservoir
By Barbara Barte Osborn, Sacramento Bee
A massive fish die-off at Stampede Reservoir, 19 miles northeast of Truckee, is thought to be due to an algae bloom.
“The bloom appears to be causing oxygen to lower in the deeper water, and there are hundreds and hundreds of dead kokanee and lake trout,” said fisheries biologist Amber Rossi.
The lake, which is in the Sierra County portion of the Tahoe National Forest, is a popular fishing spot.
Concerned anglers have called the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Forest Service’s Truckee Ranger District office for several weeks, said Rossi, who is Fish and Wildlife’s fisheries biologist for Sierra and Plumas counties.
“We’re still getting reports,” she said Friday, “so apparently it’s still going on.”