Red Tide
Currently, red tide has a patchy and rapidly changing distribution in Southwest Florida.
Satellite imagery over the past week has shown high levels of chlorophyll off of the coast of Boca Grande and North Captiva. This chlorophyll patch has moved south since last week and corresponds to water samples with bloom concentrations of
Karenia brevis, and other algal species may be contributing to the high chlorophyll levels as well. The FWC Fish Kill Hotline has been receiving numerous reports of fish kills associate with red tide in Pinellas, Sarasota, and Charlotte counties.
In Lee County, FWC reported very low to low levels of Karenia brevis in Pine Island Sound, medium concentrations in Boca Grande Pass and not present/background concentrations off the coast of Sanibel. The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) on Sanibel received 10 patients with toxicosis symptoms (from red tide or blue-green algae) from 8/30/21 - 9/5/21.