BRADENTON, Fla. -- Remember a week ago when conditions seemed to be getting better? Scientists said don’t get too excited and that it may be temporary. They were right.
Bradenton Beach is pretty much like any beach along Manatee and Sarasota Counties right now - littered with fish. The wind direction changed and it’s onshore.
That brought the red tide back in full force, washing dead fish on our beaches, bringing back the reddish-brown water, along with the respiratory problems.
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County workers are cleaning up as fast as they can, but sometimes the fish wash up again within hours.
So far since August 1, Sarasota County workers have picked up 66 tons of fish and keep counting more.
Red Tide continues to impact our marine life. First, the fish and shellfish, then our turtles and manatees, and then our dolphins. And now the latest victim is the seabirds.
Wildlife groups in Sarasota and Manatee are starting to receive sick seabirds.
Wildlife Inc on Bradenton Beach has been treating seven birds. Five laughing gulls came in a few days ago and two died.
The symptoms of red tide are similar to other animals - they act disoriented, can’t walk straight if at all, almost like they are drunk.
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Even the mighty and majestic Osprey isn’t immune to red tide. Two birds were found on Longboat Key - one on a golf course and the other nearly drowned when diving for dead fish in a canal. Some good Samaritans managed to save him…and they’re slowly doing better.
“No solid food to start with so we clean out their system by giving liquids to start with," Ed Straight with Wildlife, Inc. said. "These three are doing well. They’ve changed to eating small fish and are ready to release but there’s no good place to release right now. As long as it stays out there like it is now we will have a bigger influx of birds than we’ve had so far.”
Normally the birds would be perched high up, but they are too weak to fly to the post above. Today is their first day of solid food, but they have barely touched their fish.
The birds are eating the contaminated fish and they can’t tell the difference if it’s bad or good. When the food source is dying off, they will eat what they can find.
Wildlife groups are working overtime to rescue sick animals, but unfortunately, the death toll keeps climbing.
Mote’s latest total is 154 sea turtles this year, most since July 1 and all due to red tide.
We rode along with the Venice Police Department’s Marine Unit and FWC and were there when they recovered a dead sea turtle off Venice Beach. A necropsy will be done, but scientists are certain the cause of death is red tide. Tragically, as long as this red tide hangs around off our shores, there will be more animals washing up.
What can you do?
If you spot an animal in distress, acting erratically, doing barrel rolls, looking weak, spending too much time on the surface, or not moving much, take a photo, record the location and call Mote or FWC. The faster they get to them, the better chance the animal has of survival.
