A large portion of the fish were removed and re-located but the remaining fish will be killed off with a commonly used chemical. Rotenone is a common pesticide used to kill fish. It's used extensively throughout the country and later this month it will be used in 3 lakes on Fort Greely, near Delta Junction. The process seems scary and causes concern over what this chemical will do to the ecosystem in and around the lakes, and the people who fish and swim in those very waters. But officials from Fish and Game say there's no cause for worry.
Rotenone works by inhibiting a biochemical process in fish cells.
The fish suffocate due to a lack of oxygen, but the chemical does NOT remove oxygen from the water. Fish and Game officials will be placing the chemical into the lakes prior to freeze-up this month. The treated fish will remain in the lake over the winter months, contributing to the nutrient loadings and creating a more productive aquatic system the following summer. Next summer, eager fisherman can enjoy lakes freshly stocked with Lake and Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon and Arctic Grayling. The T-3000 is not another model for James Cameron terminator films.