Crews removing derelict boats from Gilchrist Park33rd endangered Florida panther death of 2024; killed by vehicle in Hardee County
PUNTA GORDA Crews removing derelict boats from Gilchrist Park Crews are working to remove derelict boats from Gilchrist Park after several of them washed ashore during Hurricane Milton in October.
33rd endangered Florida panther death of 2024; killed by vehicle in Hardee County Another Florida panther has been killed by a vehicle, this time in Hardee County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 33 for 2024.
the weather authority Cool and breezy for your Thursday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking cold morning conditions before temperatures warm up to the low 70s this Thursday.
Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Milton.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
PUNTA GORDA Crews removing derelict boats from Gilchrist Park Crews are working to remove derelict boats from Gilchrist Park after several of them washed ashore during Hurricane Milton in October.
33rd endangered Florida panther death of 2024; killed by vehicle in Hardee County Another Florida panther has been killed by a vehicle, this time in Hardee County, increasing the death toll of the endangered species to 33 for 2024.
the weather authority Cool and breezy for your Thursday afternoon The Weather Authority is tracking cold morning conditions before temperatures warm up to the low 70s this Thursday.
Students react to threat made at Florida Gulf Coast University Students at Florida Gulf Coast University said they don’t know the specifics of a threat made last week, but they do know it was taken care of.
Missing and endangered boy found in Lehigh Acres Authorities have found a missing and endangered boy in Lehigh Acres. Police asked for the public’s help in locating Zachariah McKelvin.
School District denies bus service to student despite mother’s measurements When we think of the bus stop, we typically think of it as a safe place for our children, but one mother says the Lee County School District told her they live too close to the school to get a bus route.
MATLACHA 2 stranded dolphins rescued from mangroves near Matlacha Two stranded dolphins were pulled from mangroves near Matlacha.
CAPE CORAL NAACP honors Cape Coral Police Chief after acknowledging hate crime NAACP President, James Muwakkil, was so impressed with Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore that he wanted the entire city to know.
NAPLES Jingled Elves trolley tour underway Breaking out your best dance moves and spreading Christmas cheer. These ‘jingled elves’ are breaking it down with a purpose.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs Elementary School’s demolition plans There’s a new lesson plan at Bonita Springs Elementary School: Demolition 101. The school is set to be knocked down, and there’s good reason.
MARCO ISLAND Marco Island Councilmember’s dogs allegedly attack 13-year-old girl Councilor Tamara Goehler is coming under fire after her dogs allegedly attacked a 13-year-old girl and the girl’s five-month-old puppy.
PUNTA GORDA Gilchrist Park’s future brightens as boat cleanup commences The boats blocking Gilchrist Park are ready to be moved two years after Hurricane Milton.
Lee County Department of Health issues red tide alert for Bowman’s Beach The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Bowman’s Beach.
CAPE CORAL City of Cape Coral working on project to address canal safety An older Cape Coral couple drove into a canal last year. Neighbors are now saying something needs to be done about canal safety.
NAPLES Collier County mental health center receives $4 million donation A giant donation is dedicated to providing people with better mental health care in southwest Florida.
An endangered smalltooth sawfish thrashing above shallow water. CREDIT: WINK News Sawfish mortalities and bizarre fish behavior have been reported in the Florida Keys and other parts of Florida as far back as Fall 2023. Scientists aren’t sure exactly what is causing the event but are beginning to piece together the difficult puzzle. From fish swimming in an endless loop to endangered smalltooth sawfish flailing ashore and thrashing their rostrum. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission updated the Florida Keys Abnormal Fish Behavior Event statistics on Wednesday. And the numbers may lead you to believe the tide may be turning in favor of the fish. “Almost basically 10% of the population died within a couple of months. That’s just not sustainable,” said Mike Parsons the director of Florida Gulf Coast University’s Water School. That’s how the sawfish mortality and abnormal fish behavior event started. Numbers began dropping off since FWC began weekly updating reported sawfish mortalities. Smalltooth sawfish necropsy. CREDIT: FWC Adam Brame, the recovery coordinator for the Southeast regional office of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA FISHERIES) told WINK News one reason that may be. “This time of the year makes these migrations up the up the coast,” said Brame. “Even if there was something in the water that was causing this, they’re no longer there in the same density that they were earlier the year.” RELATED: Distressed endangered sawfish euthanized nearly a month after rescue RELATED: Unsolved: sawfish deaths rise during Florida Keys mystery Even though the trend seems to be swinging in favor of the fish, Brame did note that the total mortality count may not tell the whole story. “At this point, I think there’s 54 confirmed mortalities of sawfish, we expect that number to be quite a bit higher,” said Brame. Parsons explained how the event may be associated with a harmful algae bloom. “It seems to be related to toxins that are produced by benthic micro algae,” said Parsons. “We saw a lot of them they were elevated over the wintertime, and now their numbers are starting to decrease.” Smalltooth Sawfish rescued from Florida Keys by Mote. CREDIT: Mote Marine Laboratory Since FWC began tracking the abnormal event at the end of January, 54 sawfish mortalities have been reported. The good news is that that number has only grown by eight in the last two months. That is a considerable drop off to the 26 mortalities from the two months prior. “Sawfish that have died to this point are the adults or young juveniles that are actively involved in the reproduction of sawfish,” said Brame. “And so when you’re removing those from the population, what kind of impact does that have on the species’ ability to recover?” Despite the bad news, the good news is that reported fish kills are also dropping. 508 fish kill reports have been made since the end of January, but only ten fish kills have been reported in the last month. That makes the last four weeks the fewest one-month fish kills reported to date. Examining an endangered sawfish. CREDIT: FWC Florida Fish and Wildlife sent WINK News a statement related to the fish kill and sawfish mortalities. You can see that below. “FWC and partners continue to investigate the cause of spinning fish and sawfish mortalities in the Keys. This event was first identified in the Fall of 2023, with the first sawfish mortality in December of 2023. As of July 17th, 54 sawfish have been found deceased. A number of Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) species endemic to the area have been identified in water samples and their associated toxins have been detected in water samples and fish tissues, but more work is needed to determine if this is the cause of the unusual behavior. Elevated levels of the HAB, Gambierdiscus spp., were observed in water and benthic samples early on in the response by FWC and Florida Gulf Coast University, but research is ongoing.” Click here to learn more about smalltooth sawfish from FWC. Click here to see FWC’s smalltooth sawfish mortalities listed for each week. Click here to learn more about sawfish from NOAA Fisheries.