HARRISBURG (WPMT) — Hundreds of dead fish have been found floating along the surface of Italian Lake, and city officials are unsure how they got there.
The fish are American Shad, a species which live in lakes. Italian Lake is a pond, and the fish were unable to adapt to the conditions.
“This kind of fish can’t survive in a pond like Italian Lake,” Aaron Johnson, Harrisburg’s Director of Public Works, said in a statement. “I’m not sure who put then in or when.”
Over the weekend, city crews began to remove approximately 200 to 300 dead fish. As of Monday afternoon, some still remained. They apparently died after Italian Lake froze during the winter.
Harrisburg officials will begin their annual cleaning and treatment of Italian Lake on Monday. The city says they will continue to remove the fish during that time.
