Red tide washes dead fish ashore on Sanibel

SANIBEL ISLAND, Fla. Dead fish scattered across the Sanibel Island shoreline.

The cause of the dead fish is that high levels of red tide is off the coast.

The new red tide map from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, released last Friday, shows a cluster of red, orange and yellow dots surrounding Sanibel Island.

The dots stand for the amount of toxins in the water — red is high, orange is medium and yellow stands for low levels of toxins.

Red tide is an overgrowth or accumulation of microscopic algae, according to FWC.

Red tide can leave beaches looking brown and murky, while also killing and washing ashore sea life.

MORE: High concentrations of red tide blooming in Lee County

Dead fish dotting the Sanibel shoreline is what many beach goers saw today.

“They don’t smell bad right now,” Scott Higham says of the dead fish that is covered in bugs and rotting away.

Many beach goers were determined to not let the dead fish ruin their vacation.

“I think it is beautiful out here, I don’t really notice the fish,” Peggy Wilson said.

Although people aren’t very worried about red tide, FWC warns that it can irritate people’s skin.

FWC also suggests keeping a watchful eye on pets at the beach so they don’t play with the dead fish.