Fisherman looking to make a big catch on Apache, Canyon and Saguaro Lakes will have to wait. The Arizona Game and Fish Department has requested that the federal Forest Service temporarily suspended angler tournaments until environmental conditions improve.
Golden alga blooms have developed over large portions of Saguaro and Apache Lakes. The alga produces a toxin that affects any organism with gills.
Currently, the primary species affected is threadfin shad. However, sunfish in Saguaro have also begun to die. And Asiatic clams are dying by the tens of thousands.
Game and Fish said a day after a recent bass tournament at Apache Lake, 38 dead bass were counted at the release site.
Golden alga blooms are not a public health threat. However, the department said as a precaution, fish that are found dead or dying should not be consumed.
