Dead fish line Lovers Key State Park, Fort Myers Beach

NBC 2 ^ | 7/30/18 | Devin Turk

[pnz1]

Red tide is all over Southwest Florida. 19 different Lee County beaches are experiencing some level of it.

Pristine water is what typically draws thousands to Southwest Florida every year, but right now it’s rotting fish - not happy visitors - lining our beaches.

“The beach looks awful. It's sad. There [are] dead fish everywhere, the smell is awful, [and] you can smell it as soon as you get close to the water. It chokes you up,” said Amber Powers.

[Red Badger]

We had a Red Tide up here a few years back. The smell was horrible for weeks....................

[Moonman62]

And on the other side of the state it’s green algae from Lake Okeechobee drainage.

[DannyTN]

Only thing worse is a democrat convention.

[SGCOS]

The Secret Service detail was pleading with hillary not to fart while she was in the water....

[BBell]

What did the blind man say when he walked in the fish market?

[Crusher138]

What did the blind man say when he walked in the fish market?

Honey, is that you?

[Red Badger]

Good morning, ladies!................

[Hot Tabasco]

As if this is something new...........sheesh!

[fruser1]

If they allowed smoking on the beaches, it might help.

[SaveFerris]

These families had their faces sanded off by Red Tide! (see below)

(seriously bet the smell is rather....unpleasant) - Seems like when stuff like this happened before the pics were near-apocalyptic.

[piasa]

These fish are too old to smoke...

[Hot Tabasco]

Growing up in northern Michigan on Lake Charlevoix, every summer the beaches would be covered with dead alewife that came in from Lake Michigan to spawn.......really stinky!

[Red Badger]

Red Tide is worse!

It kills every species of every size, big or small, an dthe all wash up on shore......................

[Sergio]

“The beach looks awful. It's sad. There [are] dead fish everywhere, the smell is awful, [and] you can smell it as soon as you get close to the water. It chokes you up,” said Amber Powers.

Sounds like any day on shores of he Salton Sea.

[VanShuyten]

“It kills every species of every size, big or small...”

Actually, one big problem with red tide is that in small doses, it won’t kill shellfish such as oysters, but can be at a high enough level to make us raw oyster fans sick.

[Red Badger]

A man here got sick and went into a coma after eating raw oysters that possibly had Red Tide...................

[Rebelbase]

“Hillary, I didn’t know you were here...”

[Hot Tabasco]

Red Tide is worse!

I understand. But it's a cyclical occurrence isn't it?

As a side note, ever contract swimmers itch?

[Red Badger]

It depends on air and water temperatures, winds and currents.

We haven’t had any here for several years. But it can happen any time...............

As for Swimmers itch, I’ve never had it................