NEWPORT, Tenn. — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation are jointly investigating a high number of fish killed on the Pigeon River near Newport.
According to TWRA, wildlife officers reported several dead fish on the Pigeon River from Edwina Bridge down to the Newport police station. TWRA fisheries biologists documented multiple species of dead fish at several locations.
Based on the dispersal of fish, TWRA said recent water generation from the dam likely pushed the fish further downstream while leaving high numbers of dead fish at the top of the kill zone.
Donna Lamb walks next to the Pigeon River almost every day during her break from work.
"I've lived here my entire life. So, it's a beautiful place. I'm a dental hygienist just across the road," Lamb said. "You don't see a lot of dead fish for no reason, and I don't know that they know what happened and why."
TWRA said biologists investigated the surrounding area and noted muddy runoff from agriculture fields likely caused by heavy rains in the area. TWRA biologists said it contacted the TDEC office in Knoxville for assistance and notified the Tennessee Department of Agriculture of the investigation.
Ronald Presnell often goes there for fishing.
"They do whitewater rafting on up on there in Waterville. They will generate, you know, a lot of time this is flowing a lot. But when they ain't generating, the river, it's real low," he said.
According to TWRA, fish kills can occur both naturally and due to manmade reasons. Most common reasons include low oxygen in the water, extreme temperatures, disease outbreaks and sometimes it can be because of toxic substances.
Some species are more vulnerable than others.
Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis sent a statement, available below.
"I am in contact with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. The cause of this incident has not been confirmed at this point. The TN Department of Agriculture has been requested to investigate as they are the regulatory authority in this situation."
For locals, this river is important.
"Newport's trying to, everybody's working really hard, I think, you know, to try to make this a better place," Lamb said.