Just when you thought the animal deaths were finally coming to an end, a massive fish die off was reported at a South Florida state park. Masses of dead fish were found floating in the water at Sebastian Inlet State Park on February 4. Officials believe that low oxygen levels in the water are to blame.
However, tests did not confirm that marine algae contributed to the die off, according to Carli Segelson, a spokeswoman for the state’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg. It still remains the main suspect, though. “Algae blooms, or the proliferation of microscopic plants, can occur and disappear so you cannot see them directly” during the testing the agency did of water samples taken from the inlet, she said Wednesday. Oxygen levels in the water were low enough to kill — 1 to 1.4 per milliliter versus the normal 6 to 8 — said state research associate Micah Bakenhaster. And a proliferation of algae can absorb oxygen.
Most of the dead fish were baitfish that likely were following food into the low oxygen waters. They “were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Bakenhaster said. Because the massive deaths have been blamed to low oxygen levels in the water, the state lab won’t check for toxins in the fish. “There is not enough evidence to show it is worthwhile,” he said.
