County cleans up fish kill at Port Charlotte Beach Park

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla.– Tommy Scott, the community service director for Charlotte County saw just how bad things were at Port Charlotte Beach Park on Monday. His staff got right to work cleaning it up. 

“They were able to cleanup all the dead fish her at Port Charlotte Beach. They also cleaned up the Bayshore Park, another beach property that we have,” said Scott.

He said crews used heavy equipment to haul away the piles of dead fish littering the beach, but by the time we got there, even more had washed in.

“This typically isn’t a one and done type of scenario with the cleanup, so we’ll be watching it over the next couple of days to pickup anything that is around,” he added. 

Experts said the fish kill in Charlotte Harbor wont just wash away because of the lack of current.

If left untouched, the masses of decaying fish could fuel another bloom of their own, according to the Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership. 

“If they decompose in the water, they are re-releasing nutrients back into the water. And decomposing fish can also create bacteria and other conditions,” said  Jennifer Hecker, Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership. 

Meaning keeping the beaches and water clear of dead fish will be an ongoing effort. 

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