ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Federal researchers say scores of dolphins have died along Florida's southwest coast due to the red tide bloom in the past year.
The report released this month by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says 174 dolphins were fatally stranded between last July and earlier this month.
Fish, sea turtles and manatees also have died from the red tide bloom, which has plagued the southwest Florida Gulf Coast since November 2017.
Red tides occur happen naturally and have appeared sporadically off the state's coast for ages, but many believe humans have made the problem worse.
This tally of dolphin deaths off southwest Florida is separate from another count in the northern Gulf. NOAA reported this month that 279 dolphins were stranded since February from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.
