Bonnethead, black tip, nurse and lemon sharks have been seen along Longboat Key recently, according to Channel 8. It’s not normal. It started last week. But residents say there have been hundreds, some even say thousands, of sharks spotted in backyard canals and the culprit is probably an obvious one.
Experts say the sharks are trying to avoid red tide in the area. The canals are a “safe haven,” according to Mote Marine Laboratory Senior Biologist Jack Morris. He tells Channel 8 he worries that if the red tide situation doesn’t improve soon, those sharks could die because they’ll eventually run out of food.
Red tide levels are high right now along beaches from St. Pete down to Sarasota according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission map. They say over the past week, K. brevis was observed at low to high concentrations in and offshore of Pinellas County, background to medium concentrations in Hillsborough County, background to high concentrations in Manatee County, very low to high concentrations in Sarasota County, background to very low concentrations in Charlotte County, and background to low concentrations in Lee County.