JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri's cold winter is killing off more fish than usual in ponds and lakes.
The Missouri Department of Conservation says it has received calls about dead fish from people across the state. Fish are dying both in shallow water and in large reservoirs such as Truman, Table Rock, Pomme de Terre, Stockton and the Lake of the Ozarks.
Below-normal temperatures have created thicker-than-usual ice. And that ice has been covered at times with snow.
State conservation scientists say thick ice and snow can prevent sunlight from reaching aquatic plants, which depletes the oxygen levels in water. Fish can eventually suffocate.
Colder-than-usual water also can kill fish, especially smaller ones.