Town working to remove dead fish that are washing up on the Beach
Since last week, Town staff have been working on the Beach daily to remove an increasing amount of dead fish that have started washing up daily.
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.
That approval was received on Monday, Feb. 27, and the Town is using equipment from Lee County starting today (Tuesday, Feb. 28) that will make clean up more efficient.
On Monday of last week, the Lee County Health Department reported that the Gulf waters around Lynn Hall Memorial Park near Times Square on Fort Myers Beach had been tested and found to have “alert levels” of Red Tide. 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.
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.
To learn more about Red Tide and its impacts on humans and to read the alerts from the Lee County Health Department, click on this link or cut and paste it into the browser search bar: https://lee.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2023/02/2023-02-20-HEALTHOFFICIALSISSUEREDTIDEALERTFORLEECOUNTY.html.
