Signs of red tide persist on Anna Maria Island. But they aren’t as bad

The stench of dead fish still assaulted the senses Tuesday morning on Anna Maria Island as residents and tourists tried to recover from the assault of red tide.

But conditions could be getting better.

Mote Marine Laboratory reported that has of 3 p.m., conditions had improved at Manatee Public Beach and Coquina Beach, two of the island’s more popular beaches. At Manatee Public Beach, Mote reported the water was dark in color and that beachgoers were reporting moderate amounts of respiratory irritation, but there was not a red drift and only some dead fish on the beach. At Coquina Beach, there was dark water and a large amount of dead fish on the beach, but there was only some red drift and slight respiratory irritation, according to Mote.

Signs that red tide was maybe loosening its grip on the island were evident earlier in the day.

A few dead fish were spotted on the shoreline, though they were fewer than on Monday.

While canals in Holmes Beach still saw an accumulation of dead fish, the Gulf side of the island showed improved conditions by 11 a.m. and further south on the island.

Coquina Beach conditions had improved to the point where a smell was hardly noticeable and the water appeared clear. A small handful of families had set up on Coquina Beach. Some even waded into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

The sand showed no signs of the hundreds of dead fish that plagued beach shores Monday.

Looking over the water from the bridge between Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key, a few dead fish could be seen hitting the shores, but crews later arrived to clear the area. The waters there appeared to have brighter hues and be less murky than on Monday.

Volunteers help clean beaches

Volunteers Tuesday morning rallied to help with the removal of fish carcasses from the beach.

A group of about 10 volunteers gathered at the 52nd Street beach access point in Holmes Beach where they met code enforcement officials and a police officer setting up a tent and passing out gloves, trash bags, face masks and water bottles.

Volunteers took bags and gloves in hand, and after a few simple instructions, they were zipped down the shoreline in small groups in beach carts. Once they stopped, volunteers picked up the dead fish they came across and dumped them into trash bags that were collected from them when the bags became too heavy to carry.

Among the group of volunteers was 17-year-old Anna Szymanski. Her family has been vacationing in Holmes Beach for 10 years. She came to the cleanup efforts Tuesday to help clean up what is her “favorite beach.”

“On the 5th of July I did beach cleanup and it felt good to come and help,” Szymanski said.

The cleanup efforts were organized by Holmes Beach police Monday.

“We had a lot of residents and a lot of people that love this beach want to come out and be proactive,” said James Thomas, code enforcement officer with Holmes Beach Police Department. “When we have that type of environment or that type of energy we try to use it.”

He said it looked as though conditions had improved since Monday, but that could all change depending on the tide. He hopes to organize more clean up efforts this week and use Tuesday morning’s event as a starting point.

In a group taken further north up the beach, Karen Stoltzfus — a Pennsylvania resident with property on the island she’s staying in for about six weeks — bent over and scooped up fish from the sand.

“It’s sad and devastating when you see it,” Stolzfus said.

Stolzfus said she heard about the cleanup through Facebook and having never before experienced red tide, wanted to help.

“Something I’m passionate about is keeping animals and water safe,” she said.

A waste management company, Waste Pro, set up dumpsters specifically designated for red tide waste. Out in the Intracoastal Waterway, another crew went out on a boat to net any floating fish.

“It’s a win-win situation for the beach, for the sea turtles, for the environment and for all the residents on the island,” Thomas said.

The red tide waste from Holmes Beach will be taken to the Manatee County landfill, Tracy Meehan, municipal marketing manager for Waste Pro of Florida said in an email.

The scene on Bridge Street

Dead fish did accumulate along the the bay side of the island near the outdoor seating section of the Bridge Tender Inn at the end of Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach.

Bridge Street was quiet Tuesday morning, save a few people walking around between the businesses lining the street and water. The smell of dead fish hung in the air, their bodies bobbing in the water.

Jake Andrews, 19, stood on the edge of a nearby dock, quietly taking photos on his cell phone of the waters. The pictures he took Tuesday showed far fewer fish in the waters than Monday’s batch of photos.

There were about half the fish washed up Tuesday as he saw Monday, Andrews said.

Some of the fish Tuesday were held back from reaching the shore by nets placed in the water, giving guests about a 10-foot barrier between them and the rotting fish.

Andrews, who works on the island, said it’s the worst red tide he’s seen since he moved to Bradenton in 2002.

“It’s going to be rough for a couple of months,” Andrews said.

Better conditions at Rod and Reel

Red tide conditions were better on Tuesday morning at the Rod and Reel Pier in the city of Anna Maria than they had been the previous day. The pier was bustling with diners and visitors fishing or enjoying the sunny day.

Ken Hammitt, of Cincinnati, was among those fishing.

“We didn’t get into the water yesterday, but I think we will today, eventually,” Hammitt said.

He decided to do some fishing after enjoying breakfast at the Rod and Reel Pier Restaurant. It was his third day of his stay on the island, he said. He hadn’t caught anything, but Hammitt didn’t seem to mind.

“Just feeding the fish,” he said as he cast his line with a live shrimp as bait into the water.

He didn’t have any concerns about the fish should he catch any, he said.

Jimmy Malfese, who manages the dock at the Rod and Reel Pier, didn’t think there was reason to be concerned. He said he had been keeping a close eye and the fish people were catching seemed healthy. There were dead fish in the water, however, but it was mostly grunts and eels and the occasional puffer fish.

“The eels are a more exotic fish, so it’s a shame to see them go,” Malfese said. “The grunts are always the first and most affected by the red tide.”

But most people don’t catch grunt fish to eat.

“It’s a really good bait fish,” Malfese said. “It’s not good quality fish.”

Businesses on the island have begun to see the affects of the red tide creeping north.

‘Business has been affected greatly’

Jo Davis and her son, Mark, have been running the Harrington House Bed and Breakfast Inn in Holmes Beach for about 30 years, so they are no strangers to the red tide and its unpleasant effects.

“We’ve both lived through red tide, and it isn’t a fun thing,” she said.

For more than a month, the red tide has had a big impact on the Sarasota beaches and businesses there. Like many other Anna Maria Island businesses, the Harrington House had seen an influx of tourists who had been staying down south and were trying to escape the red tide.

But those businesses are no longer the only ones affected, she explained. The Harrington House has had at least eight cancellations this week alone, the Davises explained. But most of those who have canceled have rescheduled for a later date.

“It’s not fun for anyone traveling if we have a red tide bloom,” Mark Davis said.

But the east wind has been helpful in keeping the smell of red tide away from their bed and breakfast, he said.

On Tuesday morning, there were several guests enjoying breakfast in the dinning room and even one couple eating by the pool overlooking the beach. Some of the inn’s guests had already made it down to the beach and were lounging on chairs or taking a walk along the shore.

While the smell of the red time was not noticeable from the pool deck, down near the water’s edge the distinct smell was strong in the air. Thanks to clean-up efforts, there were no dead fish lining the shore.

“Right now, take a deep breath, I don’t smell it and I am not coughing,” Jo Davis said.

When red tide hits hard, as it has in the past, they don’t expect guests to want to sit outside anymore than they do.

“I still see people out walking. I wouldn’t go out in the water, but that’s a preference,” her son said.

“Business has been affected greatly,” Jo Davis said. “And the people you see out here, I take the extra time to say thank you because they are here.”

This story was originally published August 7, 2018 at 10:33 AM.