What you need to know about Florida red tide

The ecological disaster that the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge experienced in 2018 was caused primarily by red tide. Unfortunately, red tide is back, and while this year's bloom is nowhere near as bad as last year's, the current bloom is having a negative impact on both humans and wildlife. For all of us to effectively advocate for the protection of the refuge, we need to know all we can about Florida red tide.

In mid-November, the Captiva Island Yacht Club's environmental committee hosted a forum on red tide that featured two distinguished scientists: Dr. Michael Parsons and Dr. Cynthia Heil. The forum's goal was to provide answers to some fundamental questions related to red tide. While their presentations contained a lot of scientific references, it's possible to get a good understanding of what Parsons and Heil were saying about red tide without having to have a deep understanding of science.

What is Florida red tide?