Boaters, fisherman question 'fish kill'

Hundreds of dead fish seen under Vilano Bridge Thursday

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – A St. Johns County fisherman sent News4Jax alarming video of dead fish floating under the Vilano Bridge Thursday. The video shows hundreds of fish floating in the tide on the intercoastal waterway.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission told News4Jax they are aware of the dead fish and calling the situation a "fish kill."

The boaters who sent News4Jax the video didn't want to go on camera for an interview, but off-camera told News4Jax that they were extremely upset by the dead fish, calling it "waste."

"That's a waste, yeah it is," said the boater. "I think something ought to be done about it."

"Even if you were going to throw away fish, why would you put it back in the water like that, just float around?" said Livio Hoxha.

While it was hard for anyone to know what kind of fish were in the water Thursday, Earl Bosley told News4Jax that he would love to catch the fish while they were living.

"Some are whiting, some are reds. I see small flounders. Them are all good fish to eat," said Bosley.  "They just waste them, I've seen tons of them."

Seeing all of the dead fish angered most of the people News4Jax showed the video to Thursday night.

"Just throwing fish in there like that? Dead fish? They should have thrown them in there before it dies. If you're not going to keep it, throw it back in," said Klaudia Hoxha.

News4Jax also contacted to the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute Thursday night to see if the fish were killed by humans, or if there was some problem with the oxygen levels in the water Thursday that may have caused the fish kill.

Although the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission said they were aware of the dead fish, no one from the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute returned News4Jax's calls Thursday night.


About the Author:

Kent Justice co-anchors News4Jax's 5 p.m., 10 and 11 p.m. newscasts weeknights and reports on government and politics. He also hosts "This Week in Jacksonville," Channel 4's hot topics and politics public affairs show each Sunday morning at 9 a.m.