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Latest fish kills claim rays, dolphins in Indian River Lagoon

More than 30 reports of fish kills in Brevard this month.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – It's not just catfish and brim dying in the Indian River Lagoon.

This week, more than 100 rays and dozens of other fish were spotted taking their last breaths in the Indian River, near the Pineda Causeway in Merritt Island.

Fishing guide Alex Gorichky documented the fish kill on Facebook.

His video was watched over 26,000 times.

"That is a legitimate three or four pound flounder that's not going to make it," said Gorichky in his recording. "This is basically what it looks like to watch an entire lagoon die right in front of your eyes."

For the fish who did survive the lagoon's latest trouble with algae and pollution, it was a feeding frenzy.
News 6 cameras Friday captured scores of fish scavenging the remains of dead rays.

In another part of the lagoon, photographer Robbyn Spratt this week captured an 8-foot bottlenose dolphin dead in the Banana River in Cocoa Beach.

SeaWorld removed the dolphin and will examine it to figure out what killed it.

The FWC has received more than 30 reports of fish kills scattered across Brevard County in August alone.

That troubling news comes as the county is asking taxpayers to pay a half-penny more in sales tax to put toward a decade long cleanup plan for a healthier lagoon.

The tax plan is on the November ballot.

With the cycle of fish kills continuing, the FWC wants to hear from anyone who spots even more fish dying.
To make a report, call the FWC Fish Kill Hotline at 1-800-636-0511.


About the Author
James Sparvero headshot

James joined News 6 in March 2016 as the Brevard County Reporter. His arrival was the realization of a three-year effort to return to the state where his career began. James is from Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

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