Brown Trout, You Say. Are You Sure Those Floaters Were Fish?

The state now says a fish kill that wiped out as many as 2,000 brown trout in Tyler Creek was caused by heavy concentrations of fecal matter. . . .

A 2-inch rainfall washed fecal matter into the creek, said Jay Wesley, manager of the DNR fisheries division in Plainwell. A Michigan State University study dated Sept. 1 found high levels of fecal matter in the fish's gills.

"I wouldn't call it a natural kill," Wesley said. "Unholy would be more like it."

Fecal matter can kill fish because of high levels of ammonia. It clogs gills and depletes oxygen from water.

Shhhhhhh, you had me at "fecal matter can kill fish." You had me at "fecal matter can kill fish."