PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Fish in Tampa Bay are in bad shape.
That's according to a new report that says it's the worst it's been in 15 years!
"Fishing, for someone who likes it, it's a way to decompress, I guess," said Alex Cruz, a fisherman in Pasadena.
Alex Cruz goes to his favorite fishing spot every week in between jobs.
"For me, as a sport fisher, it's kind of hard to find them," said Cruz.
Recently, he said fish have been slowly disappearing.
"If you have a fishing pole, I guess you want to catch a fish, and if you don't have a fish to catch, what are you doing," said Cruz.
"When we see declines in the index…which, like I said, it doesn't happen often, it's usually due to a large-scale disturbance," said Kerry Flaherty-Walia with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program.
Walia said the decrease in fish populations could be because of red tides in recent years and possibly the long-term impacts of the Piney Point spill in 2021.
"We are concerned about water quality. We are also concerned about habitat," said Walia.
The organization released a report putting fish population health in the Tampa Bay Area in the yellow or "cautionary" zone.
She said local governments need to put more money into restoration projects, like keeping fish habitats safe.
"They need those spots to reproduce, and if they don't have a spot to spawn like that, they aren't going to grow. They will just be eaten by everything else," said Garrett Matlock, who works near marinas.
The Tampa Bay Estuary Program recommends recreational fishers try to stay away from seagrass and throw fish back in the water after catching them.
"There are rules in place, laws that need to be obeyed. It's a personal responsibility," said Cruz.
