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Officials say fish kills at 2 White Mountain area lakes likely due to water quality

Luna Lake in the White Mountains of Arizona.
Arizona Game and Fish Department
Luna Lake in the White Mountains of Arizona.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is investigating fish mortalities at two lakes in eastern Arizona.

The agency is warning against fishing at Becker and Luna lakes in the White Mountains after reports of dead fish late last week.

The department is still investigating the fish kills, but say both events were likely related to poor water quality due to the “far-below-average” precipitation during the past year.

At Becker Lake, officials believe the issue stems from high pH conditions, as the fish showed signs of stress.

For Luna Lake, the department says the fatalities were likely due to a harmful algae bloom causing a decrease in oxygen.

The department says to avoid eating fish from each location, and to stay away from the water when algae is present.

More Arizona animal news

Greg Hahne started as a news intern at KJZZ in 2020 and returned as a field correspondent in 2021. He learned his love for radio by joining Arizona State University's Blaze Radio, where he worked on the production team.