'It's Just Nasty': FWC Investigating Biscayne Bay Fish Kill & Residents Are Concerned
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Florida Fish and Wildlife researchers are monitoring Biscayne Bay after thousands of fish were found dead in the water on Tuesday morning.
CBS4's Jessica Vallejo spoke to several residents who said the smell is overwhelming.
"It's crazy. I have never seen anything like this before," said a man named David who spotted the dead fish along the shore of Morningside Park. "They are all like swollen. It's just nasty."
Another woman told CBS4 News she noticed a horrific smell while walking her dog at Margaret Pace Park in Edgewater. It wasn't until she got onto the beach that she noticed the dead fish.
Video she took shows the fish swollen and about twice their natural size.
"It smells bad. It's pretty embarrassing to come out here. You want to enjoy the view and all you are doing is you are smelling the filth," said Rick Rigueria.
Rigueria, and others, are alarmed and concerned over what caused the fish kill.
"I was pretty sad. I was wondering what could have happened. Was it the sewage. Or was there someone out here throwing out chemicals or anything like that," questioned Rigueria.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said they received multiple calls regarding the fish kill.
FWC released a statement saying, "Our researchers currently do not know the cause of the kill; they suspect low dissolved oxygen. We are working with the Miami Waterkeeper's team to collect water samples to learn more."
"We have to reduce nutrient pollution that is getting into Biscayne Bay. This is a red flag," said Kelly Cox, the General counsel of Miami Waterkeeper.
Cox said while results are still pending, this could be a result of water pollution as well as low oxygen in the water. She said there is not enough circulation in the water.
Cox advises people to not go inside the Bay at this time.
The FWC says they expect to have the results back by the end of the week.
Residents say South Florida waterways should always be protected.
"I would love to know who is destroying our environment. I would love to know," said Rigueria.
David added, "They should fix the problem. It looks like there is oil in the water."
The FWC has an app for the public report a fish kill on-site. It automatically provides coordinates and prompts users to provide information like water discoloration, species affected and other environmental conditions, as well as allow you to submit photos.
Download the FWC Reporter app for Apple or Android devices from the App Store or Google Play.
