Florida algae crisis: Dead sea turtle count at 400 as red tide could last until 2019

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The number of dead manatees and sea turtles continues to climb as red tide strangles the life out of coastal Southwest Florida waters.

Bloom conditions started in November, and 400 stranded and dead sea turtles have been pulled from the waters surrounding Lee, Collier, Charlotte and Sarasota counties.

A manatee that probably died because of red tide poisoning was retrieved from the Cape Coral Yacht Club on Tuesday while hundreds of residents and visitors were expressing their anger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at a meeting nearby.

"There was one dead female manatee," said Michelle Kerr, spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "The cause of death is not determined yet, but it was found in a location with high concentrations of red tide. There was speculation that the manatee had a baby, a calf with her. She did not. She was actually found in a mating herd."

The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission found the manatee, tied a rope to its tail and dragged it to the boat ramp before a truck hauling a trailer was lowered into the water to retrieve the carcass.

The red tide has lingered along the coast since November and may persist into 2019 since it's typically broken up by cold fronts.

It's been centered mostly around Sanibel and northern Lee County waters but at times has reached from the Tampa Bay area to the Florida Keys.

The red tide adds to the misery Southwest Florida is already experiencing with blue green algae. On Wednesday, Gov. Rick Scott directed the state's environmental agency to give Lee County $700,000 to combat algae and remove it from various tributaries and canals along the Caloosahatchee River. The money is part of a program started by the governor's emergency declaration order July 9.

Red tide counts have ranged from natural background levels to 1 million cells per liter and higher.

Fish kills and breathing irritation in humans can start when counts reach 10,000 cells per liter, according to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

A report released Wednesday by the conservation commission shows counts of 1 million cells per liter from Sarasota to Naples.

To the south, in Estero Bay, Florida Gulf Coast University marine researcher Bob Wasno lead a trip of 27 high school students and found varying conditions.

At first, he said, he was seeing baitfish and mullet — fish that had probably died days before and were being washed in with the tide.

"There’s lots of dead everything here," said Wasno. "I’m watching a sea trout die right at my feet. There’s mullet, snook, pinfish, seasnakes, small grouper, and there’s a lot of it. And it's looking very, very fresh."

A German couple sat in beach chairs near a band of drift algae at the north end of Fort Myers Beach.

"This is the first time we've seen it like this," said Wolfgan Butenschoen, who is staying with his wife in Cape Coral for three weeks. "We read about it while we were still in Germany, about all the things on the beach. Now we're worried about the dolphins."

Butenschoen said he and his wife plan to stay for all three weeks.

"I think we are supporting the area by staying," Butenschoen said. "And we will come back."

Follow Chad Gillis on Twitter: @ChadGillisNP

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