Red tide worsened along Sarasota County’s beaches last week, with beachgoers not only finding piles of dead fish on the sand but also discovering that it was hard to breathe. High concentrations of Karenia brevis, the algae that causes red tide, were found all along the Sarasota and Charlotte County Gulf coastline, with some locations in Lee County similarly affected.

Fishermen offshore reported red tide there as well, with large areas of water apparently devoid of life. The worst reports came from a few miles off Manasota Key south to offshore of Boca Grande Pass, where anglers said there were large numbers of decomposing fish at the surface and enough red tide in the water that bait in livewells died.