Fish Kills

In a report Tuesday, the Florida Keys Wildlife Research Institute said no new sawfish deaths have been reported since June. But exactly what caused the startling behavior remains unknown.

Batches of emails obtained by the Tampa Bay Times reveal eyewitness accounts from a mysterious fish die-off in the Florida Keys.

Supporters of an amendment that would enshrine a right to clean water in the state constitution are once again ramping up their efforts to get it on the ballot. This time, they're eyeing the 2026 election.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday it will take the unprecedented step of catching and caring for sick sawfish in an effort to prevent ongoing deaths.

Overwhelmed experts are baffled over a trail of sick or dead sawfish that has stretched across 78 miles of shallow water in the Keys. The mystery is also stressing dozens of other fish species.

Sawfish, and about 30 other species of fish, are turning up sick and dying in the Lower Keys as questions mount over what's causing it. As word and worries spread, scientists are yet to find a smoking gun.

The number of reports of dead or dying endangered sawfish has risen to 39, with 15 bodies retrieved for testing, state wildlife officials said Tuesday.

Satellite images of red tide blooms in the Gulf of Mexico and modeling from within the water column will then be combined with a foodweb model to estimate mortality rates of different fish species.

This year’s fish kills were linked to the lagoon’s low levels of dissolved oxygen.

In what many scientists are calling “unprecedented” heat, some areas of the gulf are running 5 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than normal.

A month-long string of fish kills are affecting shallow waters that run the length of the island chain, from Key Largo to Key West. Researchers blame soaring sea surface temperatures off the southern coast of Florida that have at at time approached 100 degrees and are running some seven degrees above normal.

Soaring numbers can have dire consequences for state waterways battling algae blooms, coral bleaching and fish kills. It also may add powerful fuel to tropical systems that pass through coastal waters during hurricane season.