Recently off the coasts of Florida, dead fish have been surfacing on beaches, due to red tide.

The occurrence is caused by a toxic algae bloom, which kills off fish, and other marine animals, such as dolphins, turtles and manatees. The tide brings these animals ashore to the beaches, most recently in Florida. The algae returns every year about this time, and kills off fish, though, like weather seasons, some years are worse than others,  including in cities like Tampa and St. Petersburg.

“The fish issue is very disgusting, and it is ruining the beautiful state of Florida,” junior Adam Polly said.

Many Floridians have a range of opinions on this. Most, clearly, dislike it due to the fact that the winds off the ocean blow the dead fish smell into their houses and communities. Breathing in these toxins can make people very sick, though no known deaths have been reported because of it.

Floridan government leaders are tackling it as much as possible, but those who are competing for senate are using it to attack each other in ads, including current Florida governor Rick Scott blaming the outbreak senator Bill Nelson, saying he had caused it. In response, Nelson has come back at Scott, blaming the issue on him. While there are political fingers being pointed, more fish are dying, and taking up Florida’s beaches.  

“I hope they get the fish issue fixed soon, I would like to visit Florida, but I don’t wanna see all the dead animals,” sophomore James Sagen said.

The total numbers are not released by the Floridan government, but it is estimated that 145 tons of fish, 300 sea turtles, and a few manatees and dolphins were killed. Most extremely, a great white shark was found on a beach, dead, from the algae. This is something that happens every year, though this year has been worse than ever, and nothing can be done to prevent it, as the algae grows naturally under the water.

The red tide season is expected to wrap up soon as the weather gets colder, but cleanup crews have a lot of work to do still to rid of dead marine animals.