Matlacha residents want action taken after finding thick algae, dead fish

Decaying algae is coming to the surface in the backyards of some Southwest Florida residents; now it’s leading to small dead fish, and neighbors want action to be taken.

Rick Salkeld sees algae in his canal near the Matlacha Park Fishing Pier. “It’s not a happy time,” he said.

Salkeld is not happy about having to rake the algae in his canal.

“We try to keep it away from the dock and the boat as much as we can. Of course, you can’t fight it too much too long, because you can’t win,” he said.

Salkeld and his wife say they’ve lived here for more than a decade and have never seen it this bad.

“When the wind blows in our direction, the smell, we’ve got to close the lanai off and not use our lanai. It’s that bad,” Salkeld said.

Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani wants to know if this particular algae is toxic. Earlier this year, the same species of algae was tested and came back positive for a paralytic shellfish toxin.

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