MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. -- The Red Tide bloom that started off Southwest Florida’s coastline and moved off Sarasota beaches has landed in Manatee County.
The beaches off Anna Maria Island like Coquina Beach and Manatee Beach are experiencing all the Red Tide problems from dark water to intense respiratory problems and dead fish.
Will Pinellas’ beaches be next? A three-day forecast by USF and FWC from Saturday shows it’s moving north. Test samples off Sanibel Island and Lido Key are showing a northern movement. The next three-day report comes out on Wednesday.
Scientists can’t say where the bloom is going but they do know the destruction it’s leaving behind in its wake.
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“It’s sad to see it,” said Robert Onuffer. He’s been visiting on AMI from Pennsylvania for two weeks. Robert is on week two of his vacation and says he’s learned a lot about Red Tide. Today he had to see the fish kill for himself and came down to the boat ramp across from Coquina Beach.
“Had to come to the water to see this tragedy of wastefulness of wildlife, it’s shocking to me,” said Robert.
Dead fish float across Longboat Pass between Longboat Key and Coquina Beach on Anna Maria Island.
Robert said, “The smell is unbearable.”
“It’s sad, that’s Mother Nature,” added Bob O’Neil a fisherman who stopped at the boat ramp looking for a good catch.
“I didn’t think it’d be this bad on this side. Dead fish everywhere. Everything. Got a big female Snook behind me that’s dead, grouper, catfish, you name it, it’s sad,” said Bob.
There was even a juvenile manatee picked up by the Venice Police Department’s Marine unit on Saturday. Mote volunteers picked up two manatees this weekend.
The numbers tell the story. FWC reports 92 dead manatees in Southwest Florida, including Sarasota this year. Add that to 357 stranded, injured or dead sea turtles.
We spotted a pod of dolphins swimming through the Red Tide reddish-brown water into Sarasota Bay from the Gulf. Spectators watched the dolphins slowly make their way deeper into the bay, where the water appeared clearer.
Robert said, “Everyone goes on vacation, gets excited to see dolphins, be a shame this gets so bad that it takes the life of the dolphin.”
SIESTA KEY
Sarasota’s beaches have been hit hard by this red tide bloom but they may be bouncing back a bit.
Beach umbrellas were seen lining the shoreline and the water doesn’t appear as off-color as it did on Thursday and Friday.
Last week, the beach was closed to swimming and was virtually empty except for tons of fish along the shoreline. But five days later, it appears the beach is returning to somewhat normal. Even the food shack at the new pavilion is open again.
But scientists will tell you don’t celebrate just yet. This slight improvement may be temporary.
Red Tide comes and goes in patches. The strong bloom can return or continue to move away.
This current bloom hung around SW Florida for nine months. The last intense bloom was in 2004-2006 and lasted 18 months.
Scientists say keep checking the beach report at Visitbeaches.org to find out which beach is Red Tide free. It will give you real-time information.
Scientists say pay attention to respiratory irritation levels and dead fish counts. If those are present then Red Tide is present too.
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