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'At least it's not as bad as last year'

Red Tide has arrived in the form of hundreds of dead fish washed ashore. Beachgoers complain, but, remembering last year, few leave.

By CRISTINA SILVA
Published September 29, 2006

TREASURE ISLAND - Dead grouper, tarpon and other fish washed ashore by the hundreds Thursday for the first time since Red Tide was reported in the Tampa Bay area earlier this month.

The result was a coast dotted with silver and white bloated fish and a heavy stench that seeped into passing vehicles and clung to the skin of beachgoers.

"It's like a fish processing plant out here," said Jeanne Lane of Seminole, as she searched for seashells along Sunset Beach in Treasure Island yesterday. "The seagulls won't even nibble at it. It is so disgusting."

Red Tide has been reported in concentrations ranging from high to extremely low about 1 to 3 miles off shore from just south of Tarpon Springs to Fort Myers in recent weeks.

A change in the current caused by tides and winds pushed the dead fish onto beaches from southern Madeira Beach to St. Pete Beach early Thursday.

"Anytime you have Red Tide off the shore, there is a potential for fish kills," said William Richardson, a research associate for the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg.

Despite the eye-watering stench, dozens of families, tourists and locals lay out on the sand or walked along the shore, some curiously poking at the fish and others simply trying to take in as many hours of sunshine as possible before winter.

Cindy Houser, 41, laid out her towel as far from the water as she could, hoping to sunbathe on one of her last days of visiting the gulf.

"Cover your nose," she called out to an onlooker walking by before digging her bare toes into the warm sand.

"It is practically 40 degrees right now in Indiana," she said, complaining about her home state. "This does suck, but it is better than a hurricane."

Others crinkled their noses at the putrid odor and vowed to boycott the beach until it was cleaner.

Greg Charles of Madeira Beach rode his bicycle to Caddy's on the Beach on W. Gulf Boulevard, intending to pick up some lunch. Then he caught a whiff of the rancid sea air.

"It ruined my appetite," he said. "It's sickening, very sour."

Red Tide is the common name for a bloom of microscopic algae, officially called Karenia brevis, that releases a toxin that can cause coughing, sneezing and watery eyes in humans. The toxin affects the nervous system of fish, which can paralyze them.

City officials and business owners say Red Tide has had little effect on the local economy this year, providing a welcome respite for vacationers, residents and fishermen who were inundated with the toxic algae last year in one of the worst outbreaks in decades.

Red Tide was initially reported in January 2005 and lasted most of the year, stretching from Naples to the Panhandle and sweeping dead fish ashore almost daily for weeks at a time.

On Thursday, city officials in St. Pete Beach and Treasure Island spent most of the day raking up piles of dead fish.

Ralph Stone, Treasure Island's city manager, said it could take workers until this afternoon to clean up the fish.

At the Sirata Beach Resort in St. Pete Beach, only a few guests complained about the smell, said Greg Nicklaus, president of the hotel.

"It is not necessarily impossible to enjoy the beach out there, but it is uncomfortable," he said.

Jeanna Amico, manager of Caddy's, said regulars had grown accustomed to the stench.

"People are just taking this in stride, saying 'at least it is not as bad as last year,' " she said.

[Last modified September 29, 2006, 00:12:03]