Hurricane Ian blamed for mass fish kill at Florida lake

Some shores around Lake Harney in Seminole County have a pretty bad smell these days – dead fish. And it appears Hurricane Ian is likely to blame for the mass fish kill.

Dead catfish are scattered around the southern shores of Lake Harney, which is located each of Geneva, Florida, which has also brought in the birds looking to eat the fish remains.

What caused the mass fish kill? There are three possibilities: Rain's from Hurricane Ian caused the lake to flood, raising the water level, which has not receded, and not all the fish made it back to open water; sustained cloudy skies didn't allow the plants to make enough oxygen, which reduced oxygen levels in the lake; or Hurricane Ian stirred up a bunch of dirt and sediment, which can also block light from getting to the plants and algae that make oxygen in the water, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

 The FWC also noted that it's not necessarily uncommon to see fish kills or algae blooms after a storm, let alone a hurricane.

For neighbors, the smell is less than pleasant.

"Our neighbor left. He said it was awful," said resident Bess Edwards. "The smell was coming into the house and it was just not tolerable. And it’s kinda of stinky right here."