Brevard County Government Urges Residents to Report Fish Kills to Florida Fish and Wildlife
By Space Coast Daily // March 8, 2018
toll-free Fish Kill Hotline: 1-800-636-0511
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Brown tide conditions on Indian River Lagoon, especially in the Banana River and Sykes Creek, have prompted a reminder for residents to report any sighting of fish kills to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The state agency administers a toll-free Fish Kill Hotline (1-800-636-0511) for reporting the locations of fish kills and/or diseased or abnormal fish. When reporting an incident, the following additional information is helpful:
• The condition of the fish (include pictures if available)
• Date and time the incident was first noted
• Location
• Species of fish
• Water color abnormalities
Reports can also be submitted on the FWC website. If calling after hours or on the weekend, a biologist will return your call on the next business day.
CLICK HERE for the FWC phone app where the fish kills can be reported.
Isolated fish kill events occur most often during the spring and summer as temperatures rise. The most common cause is low dissolved oxygen in the water.
Algal blooms, like the brown tide currently blooming in the Indian River from Port St John to Vero and throughout the Banana River, consume oxygen at night and during cloudy days, sometimes leaving insufficient oxygen for fish and other marine life. Algal blooms are fed by excess nutrients often related to human activities.
Residents can play a role in helping avoid fish kills. That includes keeping leaves and grass clippings off the streets, canals and out of storm drains; following local fertilizer ordinances; preventing over irrigation; maintaining septic systems, and repairing leaky sewer pipes.
In response to the record-breaking fish kill of March 2016, Brevard County residents voted to impose a half-cent sales tax to fund a 10-year plan to clean up and restore health to the Indian River Lagoon.
To date, six projects have been completed and over 60 projects are scheduled to begin this year. After many decades of allowing too much pollution to enter the lagoon, it will take hundreds of projects and years of cleanup to reduce the risk of severe algae blooms and associated fish kills.
CLICK HERE for the Save Our Indian River Lagoon Project Plan, which is updated annually.
CLICK HERE FOR BREVARD COUNTY NEWS
