NEW CASTLE, Ind. (WISH) — Some people were shocked to find hundreds of dead carp floating in Shively Lake at Henry County Memorial Park.

Resident Michael Guffey showed News 8 a video of carcasses floating in the water and along the banks of the lake that sits off State Road 3 northwest of the city of New Castle.

“I didn’t hang around that long. But, yeah, it stunk. You can smell it from the highway,” he said. 

Superintendent Casey Brumley of Henry County Memorial Park says the fish kill was no accident. She says the lake was drained to clean it and restore its eroding shoreline.

The park superintendent says around 6,500 pounds of fish have been moved. They saved bass, bluegill and catfish, but left carp.

Brumley said, “The main problem is we were overran with carp, which is an invasive species in Indiana.”

She says some of the larger carp were sent to lakes where fishermen pay to fish. Others died when the water level decreased, their bodies to be later used as fertilizer or bait.

“We knew we we’re going to lose some. Unfortunately, it was part of this process.” 

The cleanup and restoration of Shively Lake is set to be complete by the fall. Fish will be returned — except for carp — and it will be open again for public fishing. 

The lake is nearly clean of dead fish now. While the process has left a foul smell in the air, Guffey says he’s excited for when the lake is restored. “I got memories out here as a kid.”