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City: Higher volume of daily deposits on island’s bayside

By Staff | Aug 6, 2018

Dead sea life deposits are heavier today on the bayside, according to the city of Sanibel.

First break of day reports indicate that the volume is slightly less than on Aug. 5 on the Gulf side, however, it is currently high tide. The greatest deposits of dead sea life occur during low tide.

Officials reported that the heaviest accumulation on Gulf side is at Lighthouse Beach.

The city is deploying both boats for water borne and hand crews on the bayside areas as it is more challenging to clean up due to limited access to some of the bayside locations. In addition, the city is working two shifts of beach crews per day in an effort to catch deposits after the second daily tide.

Today, there are six flats boats in the canals and on the bay collecting and removing.

On Aug. 5, one large carcass – goliath grouper – was removed and thousands of smaller sea life.

Under the direction of the Sanibel Department of Public Works, the city has three basic operations underway to remove dead sea life from the island:

– Beach clean-up

– Canal clean-up and waterside removal

– “Rapid Response Team” primarily addressing large carcasses

The Sanibel Boat Ramp has been prepared as the staging area for the canal and water-borne clean-up operations. The current plan is to bring all dead sea life back to the Public Works yard for hauling off-island by Advanced Disposal. Advanced Disposal deployed additional dumpsters to Public Works for debris disposal. At this time, public access to the boat ramp is permitted.

Large carcasses inventory for Aug. 5:

– Goliath grouper: 1

One at 125 pounds

– Tarpon: 0

None reported

Today’s first light of day report from Public Works staff is as follows:

– Lighthouse Beach

Current Conditions: Poor

Red Tide: Present

Odor: Very strong

Deposits: Approximately 20 to 50 dead sea life every 10 feet

– Sanibel Boat Ramp

Current Conditions: Fair to poor

Red Tide: Present

Odor: Yes

Deposits: Approximately 50 dead sea life every 10 feet

– Algiers Beach (Gulfside City Park)

Current Conditions: Very poor

Red Tide: Present

Odor: Present

Deposits: Approximately 30 dead sea life every 10 feet

– Tarpon Bay Beach

Current Conditions: Fair

Red Tide: Moderate presence

Odor: Present

Deposits: Approximately five dead sea life every 10 feet

– Bowman’s Beach

Current Conditions: Fair

Red Tide: Heavy presence

Odor: Present

Deposits: Approximately two dead sea life every 10 feet

– Blind Pass

Current Conditions: Fair

Red Tide: Slight to moderate presence

Odor: Slight

Deposits: Approximately five dead sea life every 10 feet

– Turner Beach Park

Current Conditions: Good

Red Tide: Not present

Odor: None

Deposits: Zero deposits of dead sea life

Based on tides, winds and currents, the conditions may alter quickly and significantly.

If you encounter any dead sea life washed ashore on private property that is too large to be removed by hand, email address and location to j.zimomra@mysanibel.com and attach a photo if possible.

A large portion of the dead fish on the beach are catfish. The pectoral (side) fins and dorsal (top) fin contain sharp venomous spines; extreme care should be used when handling the fish. Beach-goers should also avoid stepping on dead catfish as some sharp barbs can even penetrate the sole of a shoe.