Multiple species of fish wash up dead in Matlacha

Dead fish have been washing up in Matlacha, Anglers say there’s no cause for concern.

Marie Lemieux knew something was going on the minute she saw the dead fish.

“We noticed all these eels swimming like hundreds of eels, and we’ve never seen that before. And then later in the day, we started noticing dead fish,” Lemieux said.

Catfish, Threadfin, Eels, and Stingrays have washed up on the shore. It’s not just dozens of dead fish. It’s how many different species were found dead.

“It’s really sad because there’s all kinds of fish, small ones and big ones. And you see the stingray over there. It’s really it’s concerning,” Lemieux said.

Marie said she talked with a biologist who went and took a look at the fish.

“‘She said something about the heat and the algae in the water and the fish when we did see the fish trying to come up to get more oxygen, and then they’re just dying,'” Lemieux said.

John Strzalk, a fisherman said he thinks this is all one big fish tale.

“We’ve seen Spanish mackerel, which you would think they would really… If there was a low oxygen issue here, they would die first,” Strzalk said.

John said he’s not letting this catch his attention.

“Like I said, I haven’t seen any of the quality fish that we’re after the snug snapper none of that’s been dead,” Strzalk said.

Florida Fish and Wildlife has not confirmed algae is to blame for the fish kill.

But FWC says this stretch of hot weather could cause oxygen levels in the water to fluctuate, making it difficult for fish to get the oxygen they need.