SARASOTA, Fla. -- First it was turtles, manatees and tons of fish; now dolphins are washing up dead, and scientists suspect it's due to red tide.
Mote scientists said when a bloom lasts this long -- and this one started nine months ago off Southwest Florida -- sooner or later dolphins will be impacted. Those scientists admitted they had their fingers crossed, hoping that wouldn’t be the case; but sadly it is.
Mote scientist Dr. Gretchen Lovewell said the six dolphins found were not any of the tagged dolphins that live year around in Sarasota Bay or surrounding waters. Scientists have studied those dolphins for five generations.
“It is hard. It is difficult to have to do this. I would not wish this on anybody,” said Officer Paul Joyce with the Venice Police Department’s Marine Unit.
Joyce has pulled not one, not two, but three manatees from Venice waters since the weekend. Now, the red tide’s wrath is believed to have struck six dolphins in 24 hours. Joyce pulled out four of those dolphins Tuesday and another two Wednesday afternoon.
"It’s very sad," Joyce said.
Joyce helped pull a juvenile dolphin from the intercostal behind the Venice Yacht Club. Then, an hour later he received another call.
“An hour later got a call from Mote another dolphin an adult dolphin beached south of the Venice Pier,” Joyce said.
Lovewell said the number of animals coming in has put Mote scientists on high alert.
“When dolphins come to the surface, they have an explosive breath that clears some of the toxins that get into their system. We think it gets in their intestines. Dolphins are amazing at masking their conditions; if they don’t mask that they’re not feeling well, they fall prey to sharks," Lovewell explained.
Officer Joyce said he hopes this is the last dolphin he picks up, but he doubts it.
“It is very difficult to see dolphins and manatees suffering like this because a dolphin and manatee -- this isn’t something quick -- this is it’s a slow painful death," Joyce said.
Mote will send its necropsy samples to FWC for confirmation. The reports could take weeks to get back. But, right now, they strongly suspected their deaths are due to Red Tide.
Dr. Lovewell said she expects conditions to get worst. She has reached out for help, calling other recovery groups to be on standby to help pick up more marine life impacted by red tide.
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