Massive fish kill in retention pond near Doctors Lake in Clay County

A retention pond near Doctors Lake used to be a nice location for Jeff Barron to take a walk with his dog Neo, but he said that’s not the case anymore.

“All these dead fish in the water -- it’s not good. It’s contaminated and it stinks out here and it smells horrible," Barron said.

Neighbors said the rotting fish is a bacteria-ridden nuisance, and they want the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to do something about it.

“We definitely don’t want that in our area. It’s Doctors Inlet. It’s well cared for. I’ve been here for many, many years, so we definitely want to keep it clean for our neighborhood,” Leann Brown said.

We called FWC, which directed us to its website, where neighbors can report fish kills.

FWC said it’s impossible for the commission to know about the kills if no one reports it. It also said this kill is likely due to cold water stress.

To date, the commission said, it has received more than 238 fish kill reports.

“That’s not a good thing. Especially children go down there to go fishing with their families or just the boys around the neighborhood to go fishing. So that’s definitely not a good area right now,” Brown said.

Earlier this month, Action News Jax reported on fish kills in Ponte Vedra and Orange Park.

The FWC said tilapia and warm water species, like jack crevalle and snook, are more vulnerable to fish kills from cold temperatures.

The cold stress can also make the fish more susceptible to disease, and that’s something Barron does not want his dog to be around until the pond is cleaned.

“He won't be coming here anymore. We have to find a new spot,” Barron said.

FWC said it will send a biologist to examine the pond and determine the cause of the fish kill.

They say it is ultimately up to the landowner to remove the fish.

Cox Media Group