El Salvador's environment, agriculture and health ministries have not commented on how the water lettuce was removed or addressed whether chemicals were used.
In Copapayo, a lakeside community of families displaced during El Salvador's civil war, uncertainty has again become part of daily life.
Avalos, who settled there after the conflict ended, says the scenes on the lake would trouble anyone unfamiliar with it.
Despite concerns, many families continue to eat what they catch as fishing provides one of the few available sources of protein.
"We eat them out of necessity," said Avalos. "Our bodies have had to adapt."
A Regional Crisis Escalates
What is unfolding at Suchitlán is not an isolated episode.
Across Central America, lakes and reservoirs are showing signs of strain as pollution, rising temperatures, land-use change and weak environmental oversight converge.
Nearly a year after the dead fish washed up, environmental concerns persist around Lake Suchitlán.
In June, the government-run newspaper reported a large amount of rubbish swept into the reservoir after a storm.
Earlier this year, authorities were also forced to respond to a large cyanobacterial bloom in Lake Coatepeque, one of El Salvador's most important freshwater lakes and tourism destinations.
Environmental officials attributed the outbreak to high temperatures, intense solar radiation and excess nutrients in the water.
Untreated wastewater and expanding development around Lake Atitlán in Guatemala has also led to recurring cyanobacterial blooms.
Lake Yojoa in Honduras faces similar stressors, with communities reporting fish deaths and declining water quality tied to agricultural runoff, deforestation and industrial activity.
