Charlotte County says cold snap likely caused Port Charlotte fish kill; vultures expected to leave once food source is gone

Port Charlotte, FL — For weeks, neighbors in a Port Charlotte community say they’ve been living under what feels like a vulture takeover. Now, Charlotte County’s Water Quality and Resiliency Manager Brandon Moody says the likely cause of the dead fish drawing those birds in is February’s cold snap — not contamination.

Moody told WINK News the fish found floating in the canal are primarily tilapia, an invasive species that is especially sensitive to cold temperatures.

“They’re actually from Africa… they’re very warm water attuned,” Moody said. “When the water drops below about 55 to 50 degrees, they start to get stressed… extended periods of 55 degrees or less, they begin to die off.”

Moody said he has seen similar die-offs in other waterways across Charlotte County following recent temperature swings. He added that oxygen levels in the canal were checked and, so far, there is no indication of a broader water quality issue.

“If we continue to see more evidence of die off that we can’t attribute to the weather, then we’ll do some follow-up sampling,” Moody said.

Some neighbors have questioned why dead fish are still appearing weeks later.

Moody says fish don’t always float immediately after dying. Storms and wind can churn shallow water, bringing fish that settled at the bottom to the surface days or even weeks later. He said he has no reason to believe there is an immediate environmental concern.

As for the vultures, Moody says once the food source is gone, they will likely move on.

Residents near the canal off Chavez Circle say the die-off began weeks ago — and the vultures followed quickly.

Michael Roebuck showed WINK News a video he recorded in the early days of the die-off.

“This probably was four weeks ago, and it was just covered in dead, floating fish… it was pretty much all covered with dead, floating fish of every — everything. Literally everything died in this.”

Neighbors say the birds now circle overhead daily and gather in trees at night.

“They come out around eight, nine in the morning… all afternoon they're flying around… then at night they sit in the trees. And then the next day, boom, all over again,” said Rosemarie Parisi.

Some residents worry about their pets.

“I'm nervous that they might swoop down and pick up,” Parisi said.

Others say they want clearer answers about how this happened — and whether it could happen again.

“It really needs to be looked into — the why and where did they all come from? And are they ever going to leave? And if so, when?” said neighbor Karen.

Neighbors also describe ongoing cleanup concerns, including bird droppings on driveways and backyard furniture.

Moody said the county will continue monitoring conditions and conduct additional testing if fish kills continue beyond what can be explained by weather.

In the meantime, officials say the vulture presence should diminish as the remaining fish are removed — naturally or otherwise. WINK News has asked the county about any potential cleanup options and will update this story as more information becomes available.