Will we see repeat of 2018 toxic summer?

By LEAH REIDENBACH

As we enter our sixth month of having red tide plague our water, we are starting to see some of the worst effects of it washing up on our shore. Last week, Sanibel residents and visitors have seen hundreds and even thousands of dead fish washing up on shore, including larger game fish such as tarpon, snook, and grouper

These fish were found at varying stages of decomposition, which means that they've been deceased for varying amounts of time They may have been blown in from offshore with the strong onshore winds we experienced over the recent weekend, indicating that the influence of red tide may be reaching beyond our coastal ecosystem into offshore water It could also be an indication that the toxins from red tide are making their way up the food chain

Could the pattern of high lake levels and high volume dry season lake releases after a major storm be a recipe for a disastrous red tide like we saw in 2018 after Hurricane Irma? Unlike in 2018, Lake Okeechobee levels were 0 68 feet higher as of March 8, and the release strategy after the storm was executed differently

Damaging releases, which are classified as 14-day averages greater than 2,600 cubic feet per second (cfs), were made to the estuary for over four months after Irma in 2017

After Hurricane Ian, we received damaging