Let's make holes – save fish from freezing!

Established frosts contribute to the formation of an ice crust on the surface of water bodies, blocking access of atmospheric air and oxygen, which can be accompanied by mass fish kills.

In some cases, winter fish kill can be caused by the presence of a large amount of humic substances and ferrous oxide in the water, the oxidation of which is accompanied by a decrease in dissolved oxygen.

Among the effective measures to prevent winter fish kills is the creation of ice holes in water bodies prone to fish kill phenomena. The number of ice holes depends on the area of the water body and averages 3-5 pcs./ha. Ice holes should be located in the center of the water body and along its perimeter, where the depth of the non-freezing layer is 50-60 cm.

To prevent ice holes from freezing, it is necessary to install sheaves made of reeds, cattails, and other hollow "breathing" plants in them, or to hang bags of salt in such ice holes at a rate of 5 kg/bag. Technical salt, which is used for cleaning boilers in boiler rooms, can be recommended as salt.

In order to prevent winter fish kills in the water bodies of the Miory district, the District Inspectorate of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection calls on amateur winter fishermen and simply indifferent citizens to join the environmental campaign "Let's make ice holes – let's save fish from fish kill!"