“Arizona officials have indefinitely closed a popular lake to visitors after its entire population of fish died recently.

The recreation and wildlife department that maintains San Carlos Lake said in a Facebook statement on Friday that drought conditions as well as water released from a dam there ‘resulted in a major fish kill affecting approximately 100% of the fish population’.

According to the statement, decomposing fish pose health hazards to people who try to fish or swim in the human-made reservoir. Officials therefore said they would not allow fishing, harvesting or possessing fish, or any associated activities at San Carlos Lake, ‘until further notice’.

The San Carlos recreation and wildlife department added that it would ‘continue to monitor conditions and provide updates as they become available.’”

Ramon Antonio Vargas reports for The Guardian June 8, 2026 [2].