Satellite image shows red tide offshore near Bonita Springs
Red tide reports look clear for the most part, but a patch toxic enough to kill fish and other marine life is lurking offshore of the Bonita Springs area, some researchers say.
A recent satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, shows a patch of chlorophyll several miles offshore, and tests taken by the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation last week confirmed the presence of red tide in that same area.
"We've been seeing red tide in our offshore samples and at about that same distance (as the NOAA image) from shore," said SCCF water quality scientist Rick Bartleson. "One spot had 20,000 cells per liter, so that is a high enough concentration to cause toxic problems, fish kills or sick birds."