Fish Kill in boating canal behind my house in Tavares, FL

n. 22, 2018                   Tavares, FL   Updated:  3pm

by Vance Jochim

Fish kill off Lake Dora, FL Jan. 22, 2018

Updated with comment from Florida Fish & Wildlife spokesman (at bottom of this report)

There are many dead fish in the canal behind my house today.  It is worse today than the last two days. although the outside temperature is now in the sixties vs lower temps last week.  Global warming strikes again. 

Lake Dora in Lake County, FL is the site for many fishing tournaments and it is not uncommon to see bass fisherman on my canal. 

Haven't seen this many dead fish for maybe 5-7 years.

 

The location is the canal behind my home at 12619 Milwaukee Ave, Tavares.  The canal connects to the west end of Lake Dora.  I am at the END of the canal. so water flow is minimal.

 

I tried to get an explanation from the Lake County Water Authority and Anna told me that they just report fish kills to the Florida Fish & Wildlife hotline but she couldn't explain why it happened.    http://www.lcwa.org/   Also, the St. John's River Water Management District is not involved in fishing and staff also told me to contact Florida's Fish & Wildlife Dept.

 

I called the FL Fish & Wildlife Dept and got "Eli" who said that the cause was most likely due to the recent cold front - he says fish kills happen AFTER the cold front because it disturbs the warm and cold layers of water and causes oxygen deprivation, especially in canals like mine that don't have much water flow in and out of lakes to refresh the oxygen.  However, if you call the FL Fish Kill & other issues hotline at 800-636-0511, they can provide more information. 

So now you know why COLD can cause fish kills in Florida lakes and especially in canals.

 

More pictures below.

 

Vance Jochim

FiscalRangers.com

 

Here is a response from the FL Fish & Wildlife Dept, and below that are more pictures.

 

Good afternoon,

Thank you for contacting the Fish and Wildlife Health Group through our Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish Kill Hotline with your concerns. Fish deaths resulting from exposure to cold have been reported statewide. Reports to the FWC Fish Kill Hotline and observations by FWC staff in the field indicate that a wide variety of freshwater and saltwater species have been affected by severe cold temperatures.  Extended periods of unusually cold weather can kill fish outright by cold stress or make fish more susceptible to disease. Warm-water species, including the popular game fish Snook, and non-native species like Tilapia, are particularly vulnerable to cold temperatures. Affected fish may appear lethargic and may be seen at the surface where the water may be warmer from the sun. I have added some information regarding cold shock.  In addition, I am sending you an informational brochure regarding low dissolved oxygen, and how low dissolved oxygen levels can result in fish kills. Because of the cloudy weather associated with the recent cold front, it is possible that the dissolved oxygen levels have dropped, exacerbating the situation.

For additional information on fish and wildlife research, visit MyFWC.com/Research.

Thanks,

 

Eli Bastian

Biological Scientist II

Fish & Wildlife Health

[email protected]

 

Fish & Wildlife Research Institute

100 8th Ave SE

St. Petersburg, FL 33701

(727) 502-4923

Fish Kill Hotline: 1-800-636-0511