A red tide bloom has waxed and waned along Florida southwestern coastline for months, dating back to late 2001. As recently as March 1, 2002, high concentrations of Karenia brevis were located along the Lee County and Collier County shorelines. In-water measurements revealed there are more than 1 million cells of the algae per liter of watera level at which the organism become highly toxic to fish and shellfish in the area.
This true-color image was acquired by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASAs Terra satellite, on February 17, 2002.
A major red tide bloom has persisted along Floridas southwestern coastline for months. The harmful algal bloom has killed many thousands of fish and has had an impact on the shell fishing industry in a number of the states bays.