Biscayne Bay Water to be Tested After Dozens of Dead Fish Wash Ashore

Water samples taken from Biscayne Bay are expected to be tested by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, after videos showing dozens of dead fish washing ashore have circulated online.

According to the Department of Environmental Resource Management, inspectors received tips of dead fish off the Venetian Causeway on Monday and Tuesday.

After conducting several tests, the department says they found that the oxygen levels were extremely low near the western Julia Tuttle basin.

While no conclusion can be made at this time, officials believe low oxygen levels coupled with very high temperatures may have contributed to the situation.

"This is because the hotter that the water is, the less available oxygen becomes," Tere Florin, a spokesperson for DERM, said.

A staff which conducts monthly surface water sampling has collected water specimens to send to FWC for analysis.