ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) – A dead goliath grouper was photographed washed up on a St. Petersburg beach on Wednesday amid ongoing red tide woes in Pinellas County and other Tampa Bay beach communities.
Wendy Wesley took photos of the fish, saying it was “giant.” She found the grouper at Lassing Park in Old Southeast St. Petersburg.
(Lassing Park in Old Southeast St. Petersburg, courtesy Wendy Wesley)
Residents in downtown St. Pete say the issues with red tide are only getting worse, and they can’t ignore the smell of dead fish washing up.
“It’s getting worse and worse every day, we have to work out with masks on,” resident Keith Scott told 8 On Your Side’s Beth Rousseau on Wednesday.
In an update Wednesday afternoon, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed K. brevis, the organism causing the algae bloom, was found in very low to high concentrations in Hillsborough County, background to high concentrations in Manatee County, very low to high concentrations in Sarasota County and background to medium concentrations in Pasco County.
Fish kills were reported in Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, and Sarasota counties over the past week.
As of Tuesday, around 613 tons of dead fish and marine life from area waterways in Pinellas County was removed.
People who take it upon themselves to collect the dead fish can drop them off at dumpsters at the following locations:
Crisp Park Flora Wylie Park Lassing Park Demen’s Landing Park Grande View Park Bay Vista Park Maximo ParkResident can report fish kill and red tide at seeclickfix.com/st-petersburg