Major fish kill near Walhalla

Officials of South Carolina Department of Natural Resources have confirmed that 40 thousand fish died recently, apparently due to low oxygen levels, at the Walhalla Fish Hatchery off highway 107.  Dan Rankin, DNR Upstate fisheries biologist, says the fish kill occurred the weekend of July 9-10 and, as he put it, “It was bad.”  However, he says, the kill has not devastated the sport fisherman’s ability to land a trout.  He says the state has stocked plenty of fish in the waterways.  As for the reasons why those fish died, Rankin referred 101.7/WGOG NEWS to Scott Poore, manager of the Fish Hatchery.  Rankin said Poore was on vacation last week.