APOPKA, Fla. — Thousands of dead fish have washed up along the shores of Lake Apopka this week, causing alarm among nearby residents and prompting an investigation.

What You Need To Know

  • Residents in Apopka reported to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission thousands of dead fish washing up on the shores of Lake Apopka

  • FWC staff took water samples from Lake Apopka on Feb. 3 to be analyzed. The results can take several weeks, and they will be shared once available

  • According to FWC, fish kills can occur in Florida bodies of water for various reasons, including low dissolved oxygen, harmful algal blooms like blue-green algae, fish-borne diseases, and severe weather events

  • The St. Johns River Water Management District has also collected additional water quality samples in the area and sent the samples to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s lab for algal identification and toxin evaluation

Two agencies have collected water samples and are looking into finding the cause.

Andy Braddock is a sixth-generation Floridian who has lived in Apopka for 25 years. After hearing about fish kill reports in Lake Apopka, he decided to go out on his boat to see for himself. He said what he found is unlike anything he's ever seen before. 

“There were some recreational fishermen on Thursday and Friday that reached out and said, ‘Hey, we’re starting to see a good number of dead fish that were floating in Apopka,’ which isn’t uncommon," Braddock said. "And so, on Saturday, the reports got worse and on Sunday was pretty catastrophic."

When Braddock was out on the lake Monday, he saw dead fish washing ashore everywhere around the lake, and some dying on the surface. 

“To see it actually in action was devastating, and it was hundreds of thousands of fish,” he said.

In an email, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said staff took water samples from Lake Apopka on Feb. 3 to be analyzed. The results can take several weeks, and they will be shared once available.

“It’s a very popular spot with all the wildlife, and to see this devastation is alarming," Braddock said. "This is the largest fish kill that this lake has seen in a half century."

According to FWC, fish kills can occur in Florida bodies of water for various reasons, including low dissolved oxygen, harmful algal blooms like blue-green algae, fish-borne diseases, and severe weather events. 

Spectrum News also reached out the St. Johns River Water Management District about the incident. They said FWC is the lead investigator on this matter and will provide their findings once their analysis is complete. They sent the following statement: 

“The St. Johns River Water Management District has also collected additional water quality samples in the area. On Monday, the District collected two samples for harmful algal bloom (HAB) evaluation, one sample at the south end of the lake near the Oakland Nature Preserve, and a second in the northwest portion of the lake, near the inlet canal for the Marsh Flow-Way. These samples were sent to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s lab for algal identification and toxin evaluation. Those results, along with FWC’s findings, will be analyzed to better understand the cause.”

Results from the two tests will be analyzed to better understand what may be killing the fish.

“We have to be patient, you know, with FWC and not rush to any judgment on what it is … people on both sides of some of the opinions on why this happened," Braddock said. "We need to wait for the facts to come in."

According to the St. Johns River Water Management District’s website, Lake Apopka is the state’s fourth-largest lake. It was once a world-class bass fishery, making it Central Florida’s first tourist attraction.

However, impacts to the lake over many decades degraded its water quality and fisheries, and led the lake to be named Florida’s most polluted large lake. The St. Johns River Water Management District and its partners have been working to improve water quality and clarity and the restoration of fish and wildlife habitats, but now they are faced with this fish kill and need to investigate what caused it.

FWC officials said fish kill reports from the public are vital in responding to events like this. They encourage the public to please submit fish kill reports to their Fish Kill Hotline at 1-800-636-0511.