Each year, when the temperatures get high enough and the oxygen content gets low enough, the carp populations in ponds across Northwest Missouri take a beating.

On Sunday, crews from the St. Joseph Parks and Recreation Department were dispatched to Corby Pond, where the polka-dot pattern on the pond’s surface and the smell of dead fish throughout the neighborhood provided yet another sign of summer.

There were hundreds of fish floating in the pond Sunday, a regular occurrence at this time of year, according to long-time parks workers.