Hundreds of vultures swarm South Port Charlotte neighborhood as dead fish surface in canal

SOUTH PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (WINK) — When vultures start circling your neighborhood, you tend to have questions.

That’s why neighbors along Chaves Circle in South Port Charlotte called WINK News after spotting hundreds of them overhead.

“There’s at least two or 300,” said Rosemary Parisi. “They've been flying overhead in my yard, and they're starting to get invasive now — they're landing on houses.”

Parisi says she’s lived in the area for ten years and has never seen anything like this.

“In the 10 years that I've lived here, I never seen anything like this in my life,” she said.

She first noticed the birds about a week ago. What started as a few quickly turned into a constant swarm overhead — circling during the day and packing into nearby trees at dusk.

“I was in the yard with my little chihuahuas, and I was afraid that maybe one might swoop down and pick my dog up,” Parisi said.

Just around the corner on Ohara Drive, another discovery may explain why.

“There’s dead fish all over,” said Charis Thomas, who lives along a canal. “And these are huge fish, if you notice.”

Thomas says she noticed the vultures first — then the fish.

“It smells worse in the evenings.”

She says dead fish line the canal banks in the morning, and by afternoon many have been picked clean.

“It’s bad. I really feel sad about it,” Thomas said.

What FWC Says

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) says this specific canal had not been previously reported to its Fish Kill Hotline.

However, since February 1, 2026, FWC says its hotline has received more than 400 reports of fish kills across Florida — both freshwater and saltwater — that officials suspect are linked to recent low temperatures.

FWC says it anticipates more reports in the coming days as fish weakened by cold stress may die from secondary infections.

The reported fish kills span multiple counties, including Lee and Collier, and involve a range of species such as snook, tarpon, pompano, snapper species, jack crevalle, sheepshead and even bonnethead sharks in saltwater areas. Freshwater reports include bluegill, largemouth bass and black crappie.

FWC encourages anyone who sees dead or distressed fish to report it to the Fish Kill Hotline at 800-636-0511 or online at myfwc.com/reportfishkill.

County Response

Charlotte County tells WINK News this is a top priority. Officials say their team — including water quality experts — is looking into this specific canal and all possible causes, including low oxygen levels, nutrient pollution and recent temperature changes.

For now, neighbors say they are watching and waiting.

“We need help. Something’s going on here,” Parisi said.

This article will be updated when Charlotte County water experts have more answers.