Beach Living Town using heavy equipment to remove dead fish

By NATHAN MAYBERG nmayberg@breezenewspapers com

The shores of Fort Myers Beach have been littered with dead fish in recent weeks, leading the Town of Fort Myers Beach to use heavy equipment to remove the fish

According to Town of Fort Myers Beach Interim Manager Keith Wilkins, approximately 13 tons of dead fish have been removed from the town's beaches

The Town of Fort Myers Beach announced this past week that staff have “been working on the Beach daily to remove an increasing amount of dead fish that have started washing up daily,” according to a statement issued by town spokesperson Jennifer Dexter stated

Vice Mayor Jim Atterholt said he received complaints from those living on Tropical Shores Way of the difficulty of passing by the Dumpsters behind town hall due to the stench of the dead fish Wilkins said some of the dead fish removed from the beaches were stored behind town hall until they could be transported to a landfill

The increasing numbers of dead fish on the town’s beaches coincides with increasing red tide levels this past month, just a few months after Hurricane Ian struck

“The Town’s Environmental Services Manager started working last week with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to receive official approval in the form of a permit to use heavier equipment to remove the fish,” Dexter stated

That approval was received on Monday, Feb 27, and the town is using equipment from Lee County that is intended to make cleanup more efficient, Dexter stated

Numerous fish have been spotted floating on top of the waters around Fort Myers Beach and washing ashore.

Last month, the Florida Department of Health in Lee County issued a health alert after waters around Lynn

Hall Memorial Park near Times Square on Fort Myers Beach were tested and found to have alert levels of red tide

Elevated alert levels of red tide are also being documented by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in the area around Little Hickory Island and Barefoot Beach State Preserve in recent weeks Low levels of red tide were reported at nearby Bowditch Point Park on Fort Myers Beach

“An increased level of dead fish washing up with tides can be caused by Red Tide, which is a toxic algae bloom that periodically happens,” Dexter stated

“The Health Department also has an advisory that has been in place since Hurricane Ian about entering the Gulf or any other body of water due to the level of debris that landed in the water after the storm,” Dexter stated

T h e S a n i b e l - C a p t i v a C o n s e r v a t i o n F o u n d a t i o n (SCCF) called upon the Army Corps of Engineers to