There is currently a clean up effort underway on the shores of St. Petersburg Fl. Where officials have stated that this was their busiest day yet. Stating that nine tons of dead fish were removed in the past 24 hours alone. They said the total is more dead fish collected than in the last week.
A huge red tide is being cited as the main reason behind all the dead marine life, although officials said Tropical Storm Elsa is thought to have at least contributed to bringing many of the remains to the shoreline.
Red tides are a phenomenon of discoloration of sea surface. It is a common name for harmful algal blooms occurring along coastal regions, which are resulted from large concentrations of aquatic microorganisms, such as protozoans and unicellular algae.
The waters around Florida are a common site of red tides, and St. Petersburg is experiencing a severe occurrence of it now. City officials reportedly noticed a wave of dead fish near the coast days ago, and they’ve since been found in mangroves, close to the shore, and in the bay.
With Elsa’s damaging high winds, like many Tropical storms. The cleanup efforts most likely will continue for a couple of days. Please be on alert for more Red Tides, as they can cause havoc with sea life, and always report any sea death you may encounter on the beaches/shores to fish and wildlife or Local Law Enforcement.
Guardians Of Life 