LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas River is a popular place to fish, but after the river flooded, we got questions about whether it was safe to eat fish caught from it.
With the high water, there were reports of dead fish, and concerns over safety after two barges carrying fertilizer collided upriver in Oklahoma.
First, there were reports of schools of dead fish.
Trey Reid with Arkansas Game and Fish said that's to be expected.
"Because of the new nutrients that are washed into the system, so you've got probably some oxygen depletion in some waters," Reid said.
Second, the runaway barges containing fertilizer that weighed a combined 3,800 tons that crashed into a dam upriver in Oklahoma, according to Reid, aren't an issue.
"With the massive amounts of water that were flushing through the system, the dilution took care of that."
As far as whether fish caught in the river are safe to eat, Reid said there's no danger.
To verify: there is no concern for the fish and their habitat in the Arkansas River following the floods. And they are perfectly safe to eat.