TAMPA, Fla. — Wildlife officials are testing the waters in Hillsborough Bay after hundreds of dead fish were seen floating on Tuesday.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says a fish kill caused other fish to wash up along Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa.
After receiving test results, the FWC says low oxygen in the bay is the reason many of the fish are dying.
There was reportedly a group of algae called cryptomonads found in the sample, none of which are toxic algal species like the ones that cause red tide. Still, the FWC says the algae they found was so small that it's not the only factor contributing to the low oxygen levels.
However, it is still not clear what caused the drop in oxygen.
The dead fish floating in the bay stretched up Bayshore Boulevard from Gandy Boulevard to at least Rome Avenue.
The investigation of the fish kills remains ongoing.