SARASOTA, Fla -- Red tide is so bad it can clear out a beach.
Nokomis Beach is desolate except for the lifeguard. A red flag flies high, warning there’s no swimming. The water is dark. The smell is strong.
The dead fish were raked off the shore early in the morning, but across the way along the Intercoastal there’s the evidence.
Dead fish along the shoreline, and stone crabs too. The algae bloom is taking down much larger marine life.
“We’re working a lot,” said Gretchen Lovewell, Mote’s Stranding Investigation program manager.
Mote is caring for 10 sea turtles. The newest one, Augusta, was brought in a few hours ago found off Caspersen beach.
“We have her dry docked with special foam around her. She was really lethargic. She has brief activity, then goes comatose again. It’s touch-and-go first 24 hours.”
Volunteers will try to flush the toxins out of her system.
“As they ingest crabs and fish and seagrass ,,, they come in lethargic and don’t know which way is up. They suffer too long in the water and ultimately drown,” explained Lovewell.
Augusta is the 120th sea turtle rescue this year. Mote says 58 percent fell ill to red tide but they can recover. Independence is a 220-pound loggerhead found off Longboat Key July 1.
Lovewell said, “He’s medically cleared doing great. He started out like this, dry docked, The fact they can turn around this quickly when taken out of that environment with good food and good nutrition fluid and therapy, they do an amazing job.”
Why is Sarasota seeing so many turtle rescues from red tide?
“Some of it is timing and spacing, we're in the middle of nesting season for a lot of sea turtles now,” explained Lovewell.
Further south, manatees are red tide’s victims.
“Manatees ... get it breathing the air and eating sea grass, so they're getting from two pathways,” said Lovewell.
Augusta will be moved to one of the critical care tanks and hopefully recover well enough to head back out. She will be released far away from the red tide water.
Lovewell said, “We’re giving the turtles the best shot being out there not here in a critical care tank.”
Mote is expecting three more turtles this week from southwest Florida.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10 News app now.
Have a news tip? Email tips@wtsp.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
