Madeira Beach Public Works crews, along with those from Pinellas County, spent the weekend cleaning up dead fish from its shores. Meanwhile, the latest water sampling test reports from Pinellas County Environmental Services confirm increased levels of red tide in waters off Madeira Beach.
The City of Madeira Beach and Pinellas County began planning a proactive approach in anticipation of a red tide bloom moving north. Crews were ready when the first reports of a fish kill arrived late Friday afternoon. Fishing trawlers under contract through the county staged at Madeira Beach Marina and were dispatched early Saturday morning 5-miles off-shore to pick up as a many dead fish as possible before they reach the beach. Fish that drifted to shore were cleaned up right away. The proactive process has been very effective at limiting the impact of red tide on Madeira Beach.
Officials continue to monitor the red tide bloom closely looking at currents, tidal patterns and weather forecasts which enable them to estimate where it could impact next. Residents and visitors can report fish kills to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 800-636-0511 or locally to Madeira Beach Public Works at 727-399-2631.
Red tide is at higher-than-normal concentration of a microscopic alga. In Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, the species that cause most red tides is Karenia brevis, often abbreviated as K. brevis. Red tides were documented in the southern-most Gulf of Mexico as far back as the 1700s and along Florida’s Gulf coast in the 1840s. Fish kills near Tampa Bay were even mentioned in the records of Spanish explorers.
For more information on red tide visit :
- Pinellas County Environmental Services
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
- Mote Marine Laboratory
For more information on Madeira Beach contact Curt Preisser, City of Madeira Beach Public Information Officer at 727-391-9951 x299 or cpreisser@madeirabeachfl.gov.