Study links Buccaneer Lagoon fish deaths to fertilizer run-off

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. (WINK)—A study done by the FGCU Water School and the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation shows fertilizer run-off killed fish across Buccaneer Lagoon last week.

Water samples from the lagoon came back with non-toxic dinoflagellates, which is fertilizer run-off. The area that saw the most dead fish was tucked back into a canal, but everyone in the surrounding area became familiar with the fishy smell for the last week.

If a breeze kicks in, that smell is still there. The water gets clearer each day.

"Haven't seen any, like, new dead fish, at least," Teresa Miller said.

Miller lives on Buccaneer Lagoon and showed WINK News where almost a week ago, all the birds left and there was a ton of dead fish. The smell was horrible, and the dead fish were getting caught in mangroves and drifting back into the canals.

"It seems like it had to be a lot of fertilizer for that many fish to be dead," Miller said.

Matt Deapolis is the environmental policy director with SCCF. The run-off from the fertilizer took the oxygen these fish needed to survive.

"Anytime you see a fish kill of this magnitude, it's indicative of something not being right in the system," Deapolis said.

Deapolis said homeowners can do their part to make sure this doesn't happen again. He said even where you wash your car and the run-off that comes with that can impact what's heading into waterways.

"If you're making choices to garden with native plants, to irrigate your lawn less, to make decisions where you don't have to use fertilizer and you don't have to irrigate as much," Deapolis said.

The Town of Fort Myers Beach does have restrictions in place for using fertilizer on the island.