Residents say smell of 32,000 dead fish 'overwhelming'
theweathernetwork.com
Tuesday, October 16, 2018, 1:24 PM - Tens of thousands of dead fish were removed from a south Florida bay last week.
People who live in the Naples area say the smell was overpowering.
Some of the fish were still alive and could be seen gasping for oxygen.
Experts believe the deaths might have been caused by the toxic red tide that's invading the area. It kills the fish by depleting oxygen in the water and by creating a thick, gooey substance that clogs their gills.
So far, 32,000 pounds of dead fish have been removed from the site.
UNUSUALLY LARGE RED TIDE
Red tides are a natural occurrence on Florida's Gulf Coast, but this year's is the worst in more than a decade. In addition to the fish, the tide has been linked to the deaths of manatees and hundreds of stranded sea turtles.
"It tends to happen every 10 or 15 years and will show up on the beaches for a while and is flushed away," Larry Brand, a marine biology professor at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, told Reuters.
(RELATED: Red tide kills thousands of fish, sea turtles on the Gulf Coast)
Witnesses say the beaches aren't in their best shape.
Hundreds of dead fish have washed up on Fort Lauderdale beaches as well, but mayor Dean Trantalis tells Reuters other parts of the state are more heavily impacted.
"We should compare that to what's happening in the Gulf Coast since August, they've removed 200 tons."
Currently, there's no effective way to control the blooms.
