Red Tide on Sarasota County Scatters Dead Fish on Beach, Shark Teeth Hunters Clean Up Instead — Florida

Shark teeth hunters in Sarasota County reported only finding dead fish on the shore due to the red tide situation. They wound up cleaning the Florida beach rather than engaging in their intended hunting activity.

On Florida's Gulf Coast, state and local officials have been closely monitoring the red tide situation. Out-of-state visitors are beginning to notice effects in some areas of Sarasota County as the holiday weekend draws near.

Hunting for Shark Teeth

On Wednesday, dead fish were lying all over Nokomis Beach's shoreline: a disturbing sight for the numerous tourists who come to the area to look for shark teeth.

Carol Landers, a Sarasota resident, said that when she started coughing after about 15 minutes, she just made the decision to go sit in the car. Her grandchildren wanted to get the shark teeth.

Over the holidays, Landers' out-of-town family is staying with her. Before going to the beach, she was informed of the red tide conditions.

Landers attempted to dissuade them, but they were simply having fun. Simply put, it is something that the locals must endure.

A group of young visitors decided to help clean up the beach on Wednesday rather than collect shark teeth. After donning gloves, they collected the dead fish and placed them in bags for disposal.

Some beachgoers who weren't experiencing respiratory irritation couldn't stand the stench of the dead fish.

Jason Beedie said it didn't smell like a beach at all. Beedie's son Beckham described the smell as being somewhat foul, like rotten fish. He continued to say that people need to be careful where they step because they might step on some dead fish.

This holiday weekend, anyone planning to visit the beach is advised to check the daily conditions before going, WFLA reports.

Read also: Multiple Toxins Detected in Juvenile Bull Sharks, Harmful Algal Blooms Detrimental to Indian River Lagoon Nursery Habitat 

Karenia Brevis

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, along Florida's Gulf Coast, the Karenia brevis red tide organism was discovered. In 133 samples over the past week, K brevis was found. 82 samples contained bloom concentrations of >100,000 cells per liter: 1 from Manatee County, 34 from Sarasota County and its offshore waters, 2 from Charlotte County, 38 from Lee County and its offshore waters, and 7 from Collier County.

K brevis was discovered at background concentrations in Pinellas County, very low to high concentrations of the same red tide organism in and offshore of Sarasota County, and very low to medium concentrations in Manatee County. They also found background to high concentrations in and offshore of Charlotte County, background to high concentrations in Collier County, and background to high concentrations in and offshore of Lee County, over the course of the previous week in Southwest Florida.

K brevis was discovered in Northwest Florida over the past week at background levels in two samples from Bay County and at background to very low levels in one sample from Santa Rosa County.

K brevis was not detected along the Florida East Coast last week.

In Southwest Florida's Sarasota, Lee, Charlotte, and Collier counties over the past week, reports of fish kills thought to be linked to red tide have been received.

Over the past week, Manatee, Sarasota, Lee, Charlotte, and Collier counties in Southwest Florida have received reports of respiratory irritation that may be connected to red tide. These counties also reported respiratory irritation through the Fish Kill Hotline.

Algal Bloom Forecast

Over the course of the next 3.5 days, most areas are expected to experience southwest surface water transport and southeast subsurface water movement, according to predictions made for Pinellas County to northern Monroe County by the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides.

Related article: Hurricane Ian Aftermath Still Lingers in Algal Blooms Detected in Four Counties Southwest Florida