The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission received reports Sept. 20 and Sept. 21 about dead fish in the C-24 Canal in Port St. Lucie.
PROVIDED BY JOSEPH DALELIO
USA TODAY Network, Reuters
A resident has reported a massive fish kill Sept. 20 in the C-24 Canal behind his Port St. Lucie home.
Joseph Dalelio, who lives in the 1000 block of Southwest Abingdon Avenue, reported seeing “thousands” of small dead fish in the canal just as he was about to spend an afternoon fishing in his backyard, he told TCPalm.
He not only catches fish out of the canal, just west of Southwest Port St. Lucie Boulevard, but he has eaten those fish in the past as well, he told TCPalm. Dalelio plans to wait several weeks, if not longer, before eating any more fish from the canal, he said.
“This is crazy,” he said. “I am very upset. I like to fish.”
He is not only concerned about human and fish impacts, but other about wildlife, he said.
“We have lots of wildlife that eat and drink from canal, a family of osprey that we have watched for years” he said.
Florida fisherman reports Port St. Lucie fish kill to FWC
Dalelio reported the massive fish die-off to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fishkill Hotline.
FWC spokesperson Shannon Knowles confirmed FWC received two reports of a fish kill in the C-24 Canal on Sept. 20 and another Sept. 21.
This summer has been unusually drier than most, and during extended dry periods low water levels can mean warmer water and less dissolved oxygen, which may result in fish kills, according to the FWC.
Fish kills due to high temperatures most often occur in July and August, but can occur later in the year. Most fish can live only within a relatively narrow range of temperatures, according to the FWC. During extreme heat events, abnormally high temperatures, near the edge of the animal’s thermal tolerance, place stress on fish. To make matters worse, warmer water holds less oxygen, which makes it harder for fish to breathe, the FWC said.
The canal, which feeds into the St. Lucie River and then into the Indian River Lagoon, is managed by the South Florida Water Management District. The district received reports from the city of Port St. Lucie regarding a potential fish kill on the C-24 Canal.
District staff will visit the site as soon as possible and report any findings to the FWC, district spokesperson Jason Schultz said.
FWC tracks and investigates fish kills
The FWC encourages people to report abnormal fish behavior, signs of fish disease or fish kills to the FWC’s Fish Kill Hotline, online at MyFWC.com/ReportFishKill or by calling 800-636-0511.
The hotline serves to alert FWC fish health biologists to the potential outbreak of fish disease, abnormal or deformed fish or the presence of harmful algal blooms such as red tide. Since its creation in 1995, the hotline has received more than 40,000 reports.
Reports from the hotline are sent to biologists in FWC’s Fish & Wildlife Health lab. Biologists there study disease and mortality in wild fish populations. Reports of dead and diseased fish to the hotline help the agency respond appropriately to disease events.
Tim O’Hara is TCPalm’s Martin County watchdog, environment and fisheries reporter. Contact him at tim.ohara@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Massive fish kill reported in Florida canal; ‘thousands’ of fish dead
Reporting by Timothy O’Hara, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
This story was originally published September 22, 2026 at 12:01 PM.