North Dakota Rainbow Smelt Die-off Occurring in Lake Sakakawea

   A fish kill affecting adult rainbow smelt is ongoing in portions of the upper half of Lake Sakakawea, according to Dave Fryda, Missouri River System fisheries supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Fryda said the cause of the die-off has been documented numerous times in North Dakota in the past. The vast majority of the dead and dying smelt have physical signs of Columnaris bacteria, said Fryda, we’ve recovered infected fish from White Earth Bay downstream to Deepwater Bay and Van Hook Arm... READ MORE