It was reminiscent of a chilling scene from a horror movie — dozens of dead fish floating atop the water at a local community pond.
But this wasn't a movie at all. A Jacksonville, Florida, resident recently stumbled upon this unfortunate fish graveyard and posted jarring photo evidence on Reddit's r/jacksonville subreddit.
"This is my neighborhood pond," they said. "Have contacted HOA. Any other advice for a fish kill like this?"
Several commenters noted that the fish probably died due to algae growth, and one suggested that the poster report the event. "That's quite disturbing," they said. "You might consider contacting [Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission]."
The original poster later confirmed they had submitted a fish kill report to FWC.
Algal blooms occur when excess nutrients — like those in fertilizers — enter a water supply. After a burst of algae growth, the plant dies off. This is followed by the death of fish and other organisms because the dense growth of algae in the water creates an oxygen deficit in the water.
This isn't the only harm caused by synthetic fertilizers, which contain chemicals like ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphate, superphosphate, and potassium sulfate. While they do add nutrients to the soil, they also kill a large percentage of the beneficial microorganisms that improve soil quality and fertility.
One gardening expert took to TikTok to encourage the use of organic fertilizers instead.
Algal blooms can also be caused by rising global temperatures due to the overheating of our planet. In spring 2023, Florida coastal communities were plagued by a toxic algal bloom called red tide, which killed fish en masse and impacted human health — those who ingest shellfish can suffer neurotoxic shellfish poisoning, and even breathing the air near a major algal bloom can cause burning in people's eyes, noses, and throats.
The Reddit community was disturbed about the dead fish in Jacksonville.
"That's rough," one commenter said. "Poor fishies."
Another person added, "As someone who loves fishing ponds, this is heartbreaking."
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