The toxic red tide algae bloom is looming off the coast of Pinellas County.
Dozens of workers are trying to keep the county’s beaches as pristine as possible. For hours on Monday, they worked tirelessly scooping up thousands of dead fish.
New water samplings in the Gulf of Mexico show high levels of red tide at 5 Pinellas County beach locations.
Thousands of dead fish are washing ashore in Madeira Beach, which is one of the spots where the toxic algae bloom is in high concentrations.
A contractor hired by the the county is scooping up dead fish in the gulf, while other crews are raking the beaches.
The red tide outbreak is killing more than fish. It’s also killing business for people that rely on clean water.
Clean-up crews will return in the morning to continue picking up dead fish. Larger rakes will be employed to hasten the effort.
FWC’s most recent red tide report states the bloom is still active in southwest Florida and extends from Pinellas County south to northern Collier County. That’s about a little more than 110 miles of our coastline.
