Why are dead fish washing up in Florida?

Why are dead fish washing up in Florida?

Over the past month, thousands of dead fish have washed up along Florida ‘s once pristine Tampa Bay coast. The culprit behind Florida’s 3 million pounds of dead marine life is a harmful algae bloom that caused Florida to declare a state of emergency three years ago.

What is killing fish in Gulf?

Hundreds of tons of dead marine life have washed ashore and wafted a putrid stench along Florida’s beaches in recent weeks amid a toxic red tide bloom spreading in its waters.

Why do dead fish appear on the beach?

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has mentioned red tide — a phenomenon where many microscopic bacteria bloom and spread — as the likely culprit behind these hordes of fish dying off.

Why are fish dying in the Gulf of Mexico?

The 2020 Gulf of Mexico Hypoxic Zone, or Dead Zone, an area of low oxygen that can kill fish and marine life near the bottom of the sea, measures 2,116 square miles.

What is killing all the fish in Florida?

The hordes of fish were killed by a red tide, a large “bloom” of toxic algae that appears on Florida’s Gulf Coast about once a year. Exposure to blooms can cause respiratory irritation in humans. To fish and other sea animals, they can be deadly.

Why are there so many dead fish?

Prolonged cloudy weather, drought conditions, overcrowded fish populations, excessive algal or other plant growths, and high water temperatures are the most common factors that combine to cause fish kills.

What do they do with the dead fish from red tide?

“So the project uses the fish that died from red tide blooms and to create an organic and carbon neutral fertilizer,” said Adam Catasus the research and education coordinator FGCU. “Hopefully the fertilizer would then be used for agriculture and lawn care,” he said.

What is it called when dead fish wash up on shore?

The dead fish have been washing up on the shores of Tampa Bay in West Central Florida since at least early June, thanks to a natural phenomenon known as “red tide” — large “blooms” of toxic algae that spread through the water. They can harm sea creatures and even humans.

How many dead fish have been washed up on Florida’s Gulf Coast?

The Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg areas recorded the cleanup of 800 tons of dead fish since July 1. Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories. Some 800 tons of dead fish washed up on Florida’s Gulf Coast after a wave of toxic red tide algae blooms killed off scores of marine life.

Where do dead fish float in Florida?

Here, dead fish float in the Boca Ciega Bay in Madeira Beach, Florida. The scenes from western Florida are hard to stomach: fish carcasses dotting beaches for miles, a backhoe lifting a 400-pound goliath grouper out of the water, hundreds of sharks swimming through neighborhoods, and hordes of maggots wriggling along the shore.

Why are dead fish washing up on Tampa Bay beaches?

In the past three weeks, more than 1,700 tons of dead fish and other marine organisms and debris have washed ashore along beaches near Tampa Bay. They were killed by an overgrowth of toxic algae, known as red tide, that came inland earlier this summer.

How much sea life has been killed by red tide?

Ultimately, the red tide killed more than 1,700 tons of sea life in Pinellas County, which hugs Tampa Bay, and that number could continue to grow. The bloom is also implicated in the death of 17 manatees in June and July, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).