Thousands of fish have died in North Carolina's largest manmade lake.
The Charlotte Observer reports Wednesday that 7,000 striped bass have been found floating on Lake Norman since July.
It is the third time in seven years the game fish have died en masse in the lake. About 300 stripers died last summer, while 3,000 died in 2004.
Fish biologists suspect the summer heat, a power plant cooled by lake water and nonnative fish dumped into the lake by fishermen more than a decade ago.
The state stocks the lake with 162,500 inch-long bass yearly.
Striper guide Gus Gustafson says about 16,000 normally grow to catchable size each year, so the fish kill represents half a year's harvest. He believes even more dead fish sank to the bottom uncounted.
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