NOAA and Local Scientists Tracking New Different Algae Bloom in Caloosahatchee River

A different variety of algae is blooming in parts of the Caloosahatchee River, but unlike other blooms the region has experienced in the past two years, this algae is not toxic to humans.

Joining red tide, blue-green and drift algae, Akashiwo sanguinea has reared its head in Southwest Florida.

It’s found in brackish to salty waters and is now spread from the Beautiful Island area to the Cape Coral bridge, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, and water quality scientists monitoring the bloom say.

The good news is it’s not toxic.

“We suspect it is responsible for all the reports of murky water in the southeast Cape canals,” Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani wrote in an email to The News-Press.