# Why does the government deliberately poison lakes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 16, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-government-deliberately-poison-lakes/529242 "2010-02-16T19:48:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-government-deliberately-poison-lakes/529242/41 "2010-03-12T07:26:40Z")
My mom works for the Forest Service and worked on a fish kill of a [fishing reservoir](http://www.redrockadventure.com/fishing/Strawberry/strawberry_treatment.htm). They estimated that up to 93% of the fish in one of their reservoir was trash fish and carp. Mostly from people using live bait, which is illegal. They used Rotenone because it degrades quickly in nature and is naturally occurring. I heard rumors at the time that the Dept of the Interior used their entire Rotenone supply to kill the lake :eek: the USFS and power companies that generate power with hydroelectric usually count fish via streams and rivers, that way they’re all concentrated in one spot vs going out into the vast body of water. ---
**Author:** ![Carptracker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac91a4/32.png) [@Carptracker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carptracker)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2010, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-government-deliberately-poison-lakes/529242/42 "2010-03-13T05:18:18Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > I heard rumors at the time that the Dept of the Interior used their entire Rotenone supply to kill the lake :eek: > . Pretty normal, since many management agencies don’t keep the stuff on hand. Those that follow that strategy just buy what the need when they need it. Despite the fact that rotenone is pretty inoccuous as a pesticide goes, it still is a HAZMAT. Storing it requires following some rules, having a relatively safe place, etc. Easier to just buy what you need when you need it. ---
**Author:** ![KNO3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea5d25/32.png) [@KNO3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KNO3)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-government-deliberately-poison-lakes/529242/43 "2010-03-14T01:07:25Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > Don’t remember exactly, but more than 10. > > The other fun thing about that class was one guy had a hole in his hip waders - he kept getting shocked. So how did the fish taste? ---
**Author:** ![Category5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Category5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Category5)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-government-deliberately-poison-lakes/529242/44 "2010-03-14T17:13:48Z")
How they count salmon in Alaska > **[Alaska Wildlife News Online Magazine, Alaska Department of Fish and Game](http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.main)** > > Alaska Wildlife News is an online magazine published by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-government-deliberately-poison-lakes/529242/45 "2010-03-15T12:51:47Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > Don’t remember exactly, but more than 10. > > The other fun thing about that class was one guy had a hole in his hip waders - he kept getting shocked. I was just listening to a guy talk about electroshocking. Evidently they recently got some nice new hip waders that were fancy breathable (Gore-tex-like) material, which avoids the whole “condensed perspiration making the inside of the waders wet and clammy” problem you get with old-fashioned rubberized waders. Sadly, it turned out that, unlike rubber, gore-tex can conduct electricity through it. [Didn’t we used to have a shocked smilie?] ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-government-deliberately-poison-lakes/529242/46 "2010-03-15T16:13:03Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > I was just listening to a guy talk about electroshocking. Evidently they recently got some nice new hip waders that were fancy breathable (Gore-tex-like) material, which avoids the whole “condensed perspiration making the inside of the waders wet and clammy” problem you get with old-fashioned rubberized waders. Sadly, it turned out that, unlike rubber, gore-tex can conduct electricity through it. > [Didn’t we used to have a shocked smilie?] Gore-tex might be the greatest thing ever though. I guess neoprene still has it’s uses then. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-government-deliberately-poison-lakes/529242.md?page=2)