City officials said they believe a fish kill in a Hixson Creek is related to weather changes.
Officials said, "The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) is presently investigating the cause of the large numbers of dead fish seen in a wet weather conveyance that runs into the Tennessee River. At this point, officials believe that the cause is related to weather occurrences earlier this week, including recent increases in the water temperature and rainfall levels that are higher than normal.
"Threadfin shad is a breed that is very sensitive to fluctuations in temperature, and recent warming trends may have depleted their oxygen levels beyond the point where they could survive. There are large numbers of dead threadfin shad throughout the region and we consider this to be a natural event outside of our control.
"The city of Chattanooga will continue to remain in touch with our partners at TWRA and the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC) about this occurrence. We will provide additional information about what happened if it becomes available."
Thousands of dead fish began showing up in the creek on Thursday.
The creek, which flows into the Tennessee River, is near Memphis Drive.
The location is near DuPont Parkway and North Access Road.