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Thousands Of Fish Dead In Spruce Creek

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla.,None — Thousands of dead fish were floating in Volusia County Tuesday. They were all in Spruce Creek in Port Orange. The fish kill is unusual because it is warm, according to people who live along the creek.

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It's been a week since there were freezing temperatures, but there are fish lining the banks. Some said it's the worst kill they've ever seen; thousands of fish lined the twists and turns of Spruce Creek.

The sheer number of fish and the smell were both overwhelming.

"It was fun last night trying to sleep with the smell going on," said resident Sunny Morningstar.

"Even with your windows closed and everything?" WFTV reporter Jason Allen asked.

"Yes, yes," Morningstar said.

Buzzards and pelicans flocked to the site Tuesday and swarmed above the water. They filled trees and private boat docks and waited at the water's edge for an easy meal.

Kayakers on the creek told WFTV, that during their five-hour paddle, they'd seen fish around every bend and it appeared to be one of the most extensive kills they had seen.

"This looks a little worse than last year, at least this area. I don't remember this being that populated as it is this time," resident Mike Kovach said.

The Fish and Wildlife Commission was aware of the kill. A representative said it started last week. The representative blamed last week's cold temperatures and speculated the kill wasn't growing, but that winds were causing fish to just pile up.

Most of the fish were mullet, ladyfish and catfish, and not the valuable sporting fish called snook that died in mass during a cold spell last year.

Residents told WFTV the fish kill is big enough that it's attracting brown and white pelicans from the beach, which are birds they rarely see this far inland.