BATON ROUGE - With temperatures rising even before the official first day of summer, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries warns residents of possible fish kills that may be imminent. 

The shallow wetlands and aquatic habitats around the state are vulnerable to becoming hypoxic, or low in oxygen. Warm water has a lower capacity to retain oxygen than cooler water, so fish populations are vulnerable to dying off en masse during a heat wave. 

Fish kills can be reported to the LDWF through its fish kill webpage here. Documenting fish kills is important so that LDWF biologists can investigate as soon as possible.