Teams hit the beaches of Pinellas County for cleaning up the red tides

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Teams cleaned hundreds of thousands of dead fish on the beaches of Pinellas County on Sunday.

LILMO Marine Services contractors were on the beach in Madeira Sunday morning to pick up dead fish with rakes. There were also crews in boats off the coast, skimming dead fish on the surface of the water.

"We start off, we take as much as possible. In this way, we hope it will be light enough for us to get it out of the beach quickly, "said Alex King, LILMO Vice President of Marine Services.

The cleaning is necessary because hundreds of thousands of fish were washed away on the beaches on Saturday, killed by the red tide.

It was something that Pinellas County hoped would not happen, but it was ready for. County Chiefs proposed the two-step cleaning approach a few weeks ago.

King hopes that the county's approach will prevent dead fish from beaches, meaning nearby businesses will not be affected.

"It's Florida. We live from tourism. For this to happen, it's annoying, "King said.

On Monday, the crews of LILMO Marine Services will be back on the beaches. King tells News Channel 8 that they will be there until the dead fish are gone.