Algae consuming Southwest Florida's coast sparking smelly fish kills along Sanibel Island - one of the areas most popular beaches.
Wildlife officials are blaming it on red tide which is steadily blooming along Southwest Florida. The toxic algae kills fish and causes respiratory problems for people every year.
For tourists like Eileen Hamilton, seeing dead fish along the shore of her vacation destination has been quite a different experience from what she's used to.
"It makes you not want to stay for long or go in the water," Hamilton said. "It worries you a little bit."
Environmental biologists with the city of Sanibel say red tide is nothing new to the area but something taken very seriously, with Tarpon Bay Road Beach and Gulf Side City Parks most affected.
"Its been a large number of years since we've had a significant fish kill related to red tides on our beaches," Holly Milbrandt said. "So we don't really know what to expect at this point we'll continue to monitor it for as long as we need to."
A marine researcher with the city also told FOX 4 they have been gathering water samples once a day, every day, for the past three weeks to monitor the red tide.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife, blooms of the Florida red tide organism are currently present along Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, and Lee counties in Southwest Florida. These organisms can even turn the water a red or brown color if the concentration is high enough.
Officials with the city say it's hard to predict how long the red tide will last because there are many physical and biological factors to consider.
FWC says they will have an update on the condition of the water on Friday. A Red Tide Status Line is also available to callers throughout the state for updates 866-300-9399.
To learn more about Florida red tide click here.
