Rain and storm damage from Hurricane Isaac is littering lakes and bayous across southeast Louisiana with dead fish.

Thousands are littering bayous in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes, casualties of oxygen depletion caused by Isaac.
 
Mike Wood with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says hot summer temperatures have already primed area waterways for disaster.

"They're stratified, meaning it wouldn't really take a lot to cause a major upset and, maybe, a fish kill in some of them. When you dump a lot of water and water flows, all that mixes too fast and can result in a fish kill," say Wood.  

He says the current kills are wide spread and most of the affected fish are shad but the kill is working its way up the food chain. But, the bad smell and loss of fishing are only short term set backs.

"We don't expect permanent, long-term damage from them. These fisheries have evolved to be able to respond to that. So, in a fairly short time, we'll be back to normal."

Wood says the kills being reported now are mostly in areas where they expected to find them, but he's confident there are some that have gone un-noticed.

"Livingston Parish is hit right now, as is St. Charles and Assumption. We've got kills scattered throughout. We're still trying to even find some of them, and I could predict that we may find others in the process of trying to find some of those that are reported."

Agents are out, surveying the fish kills that have been reported. And, Wood asks that anyone coming across a fish kill to report it to their local Wildlife and Fisheries office.

The kills, which are common after hurricanes disturb organic matter in local waterways, are not expected to pose a threat to drinking water supplies.