Hundreds Of Dead Fish Killed By Red Tide Wash Ashore From Elsa

ST. PETERSBURG, FL —A strong, foul odor caused by hundreds of dead fish in the waterways is causing an unpleasant experience for St. Petersburg residents.

Runners, walkers and skaters are usually crowding the pathways near North Shore Park, Vinoy and Coffee Pot Bayou, but for the past 10 days not a lot of activity or residents have been seen enjoying parts of St. Pete so many love because of the shorelines and waterways being infested with dead fish from the red tide that is not only in Pinellas County waterways, but also Hillsborough County and Pasco County, according to the latest Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's statewide red tide map. It shows medium to high levels of red tide in Pinellas.

"Harmful algal blooms, or HABs, occur when colonies of algae—simple plants that live in the sea and freshwater—grow out of control while producing toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, and birds," the U.S. National Ocean Service said on its website.

FWC has not confirmed if Tropical Storm Elsa caused any harm to shellfish, however, her winds did push hundreds of dead fish onto the shorelines of St. Petersburg. Residents in Coquina Key and Venetian Isles are not happy about the dead fish just floating in the canals near their homes. The smell is so bad, it makes you want to run.

Linda Testa, a Venetian Isles resident, told WFLA that she is troubled by the hundreds of rotting maggot-infested dead fish in the canal. Her sister-in-law feels the same.

"I won't say it makes you want to puke, but it's very nauseating," Marie Testa, Lindsa Testa's sister-in-law, told the TV outlet.

Benjamin Kirby, the city of St. Petersburg's spokesperson, told Patch that they have had city workers cleaning up dead fish for the past 10 days.

A Coquina Key resident, Mary Jo Allen, told a Bay News 9 reporter that she and her neighbors at the Water South condos have filed complaints, but they haven't gotten any response. She also told the TV station that it's gotten so bad that some people have left and are staying in hotels.

"Our St. Pete crews have collected more than 10,000 dead fish (6 tons) along our shorelines and waterways in the past week," Deputy Mayor Kanika Tomalin tweeted Thursday. "This cleanup impacts our level of service in other areas, but we recognize the importance."