Signs of red tide returning after hundreds of dead fish line the beaches in Naples

A beach in Naples is putting off a familiar stench with hundreds of dead fish lining the shore.

The beach near the Verado Way access is empty of visitors and a sign is up warning of red tide.

It’s an unwelcome sight for Lindsay McHenry.

“When you first look out, you really didn’t see it until you get down to the water and then I mean, there’s a ton of dead fish,” she said.

Many beachgoers say they’re staying out of the water.

“I can feel it in my eyes and I mean really it’s a sight to be seen,” said McHenry.

All day, the City of Naples spent time picking up the dead mullet along the shore.

McHenry says it’s a big change from a few days ago. “We were here last week and none of this was here.”

But further south by Naples Pier, conditions were a little different for Mickey Davis who caught about six fish today.

“I was going come out here and hopefully commiserate with friends and complain about no fish,” he said.

He says despite the abundance of other fish, seeing the mullet is concerning.

“It’s sad to see any kind of dead fish, sure. And when it gets bad, it can get worse,” said Davis.

The county says they will be out testing the current conditions to determine the actual cause of all the dead sea life in the water and on shore. They also are planning on monitoring the winds as they shift over the next few days.

The next set of sample tests are expected to come back on Tuesday.

The City of Naples is also doing testing and will have those results by Monday.

If you would like to monitor the red tide status you can see the latest updates at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Red Tide Status page here.