Local

Dying fish in Longwood lake have residents worried about the cause

Dying fish along the shores of Lake Searcy in Seminole County have some residents concerned about what might be in the water.
 
Sean Maltby said he lives where he does for the beauty of the area.
 
"I come out here and relax on one of the most beautiful, pretty lakes in Longwood," Maltby said.
 
But these days his front-row view is not quite what he bargained for.
 
"All that stuff you see in the water is dead fish," Maltby said, pointing to the lake.
 
The city of Longwood is trying to determine what is killing the fish. Channel 9's Janine Reyes was told that it is believed algae blooms are to blame.
 
The blooms can deprive the water of oxygen, causing several fish to die at once.
 
"You've got bass that might be 10 years old that have been around for a long time and they just die. That's a big impact on the lake," Maltby said.
 
Maltby said he knows fish kills happen from time to time and if it was just dead fish he was finding he wouldn't be so concerned. Maltby told Reyes that animals that are eating those fish are dying as well.
 
"My question is, why would an animal die from eating another animal that died from suffocation," Maltby said.
 
He said he is concerned the problem might be man-made. He said stormwater runoff makes its way to the lake and he wonders if that carried something deadly for the fish.
 
"It's a shame. It's a crime against nature," Maltby said.
 
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said they will get involved if there is a violation to pursue. On Saturday, they would only confirm that an investigation into the fish kill is ongoing.