Dead fish wash ashore as toxic red tide drifts toward Tampa Bay

Here come the dead fish.

Driving the news: That massive red tide bloom that took hold off the coast of Sarasota County after Hurricane Ian is killing thousands of fish right now and depositing them on some of the world's best beaches.

• Recent reports of dead fish at Sarasota's Ken Thompson Park and Lido Beach have city and county officials monitoring the shorelines for emergency cleanup operations.

Why it matters: Beyond widespread fish kills polluting beaches and waterways, toxic red tide can cause respiratory irritation in humans and animals.

• All of which is not fun, and bad for tourism.

Details: Bloom levels of red tide were found last week in samples taken from Lee, Collier, Sarasota and southern Manatee counties, per the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

• Meanwhile, it was observed in lower concentrations in Pinellas County, and it's drifting north into the mouth of Tampa Bay.

The latest: FWC reported Friday that fish kills were observed and respiratory irritation was reported in Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties over the past week.

Between the lines: Scientists say the Karenia brevis bloom is now being fed by nutrients running off the landscape in the wake of Hurricane Ian.

• "I don't see any good evidence that hurricanes initiate a red tide, but once you have a red tide started, runoff will make it worse," Larry Brand, a water quality expert, scientist and professor at the University of Miami, told the Fort Myers News-Press.