SARASOTA, Fla. -- Despite northerly winds helping to push red tide away from the Pinellas County coastline, areas south can't shake the toxic blooms.
Concentrations of red tide, made up of the K. brevis organism, remain high across Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota counties, per the latest Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report.
To an extent, the situation remains dire: There is an "unusual mortality event occurring right now," especially in Lee and Collier counties, FWC spokeswoman Michelle Kerr said.
Naples' News-Press reports 37 dolphins have washed up dead since last Wednesday, with 15 of those found Tuesday.
The animals' exact cause of death remains unknown, but there's a likely culprit.
“We do suspect red tide at this point, just because it's been so prevalent in the area,” Blair Mase, a marine mammal stranding coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told the newspaper.
“We've seen dolphins impacted by it for months.”
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