Florida: Hundreds of Eels, Crabs, Rays, Trout, Tortoises and Tropical Fish Washing Up Dead on Beaches

“U.S. authorities are investigating what could be killing hundreds of fish and other marine animals – including sharks and manatees – which in recent days have been washing up on beaches in southwestern Florida.

‘High temperatures and cloudy, rainy days can spell trouble for fish in Florida’s marine and freshwater habitats. These conditions can cause fish kills, which are natural occurrences that typically do not cause permanent damage to the ecosystem or to fish populations,’ the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.

Even so, the FWC asked in a news release for cooperation from the public in monitoring the deaths of the marine life and determining if the phenomenon is spreading to natural lakes and estuaries in the area ‘to see if there are problems developing in an ecosystem that might require investigation or restorative measures.’

The bodies of the dead animals – which include eels, crabs, rays, trout, tortoises and various kinds of tropical fish – have been turning up in recent days on several Florida beaches, among them the one at Naples, which is considered to be among the most beautiful in the United States with 16 kilometers (10 miles) of sand and crystalline waters close to shore.” Read more.

Dead fish wash ashore in SW Florida – “NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Authorities don’t know what’s causing fish to wash ashore along a stretch of beaches in southwest Florida. But Collier County pollution control monitor Rhonda Watkins says she sent water samples and samples of a variety of dead fish to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission labs in St. Petersburg on Monday. But many suspect a dead zone in the Gulf waters caused the fish to die.” Read more.

Gulf of Mexico ‘Dead Zone’ May Triple in Size, Could Become the ‘Largest Ever Recorded’ – “Researchers measuring the ‘dead zone’ in the Gulf of Mexico say it is currently about 3,300 square miles but some scientists say it could become much larger… Some researchers predict the dead zone could exceed 9,400 square miles this year, which would make it one of the largest ever recorded.” Read more.