Why don t fish freeze in a frozen lake?

As a lake freezes, the ice floats on the surface, insulating the water below and keeping most lakes—and the fish within them—from freezing solid. You would still, however, be very cold. Lake fish have to lower their metabolism and enter a state called torpor to reduce their energy demands enough to survive the winter.



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Do fish die in frozen lakes or in lakes that are partially frozen? Since fish are cold-blooded animals, they can survive because they are able to regulate their body temperature to match their environment. However, they could die if a body of water freezes over completely and remains frozen for an extended period.

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Surface Temperatures. —During the winter, from the latter part of December to the breaking up of the ice in the spring, the temperature of the water under the ice is 32 F. The water then warms at a uniform rate to 72 F.

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In water that is around the freezing point, a person is likely to survive only 15 to 45 minutes with flotation and possibly up to an hour or so with flotation and protective gear before the brain and heart stop (Table 1). The surface temperature of Lake Superior in early to mid-summer is about 40 to 50 F.

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