What's behind seaweed piles seen along Bowman’s Beach on Sanibel

SANIBEL, Fla. —

A recent cold front brought massive piles of seaweed to Bowman’s Beach. The seaweed has since been taken back by the tide, but it's still drawing reactions from people on Sanibel's shore.

Spencer Cook, visiting from Maine, saw video of the seaweed.

"I've never seen like that," Cook said. "Looks like a lawn of seaweed!"

Anne Collins, visiting from Massachusetts, said she's glad the seaweed has thinned out after looking at the clip.

"It looks like it's probably filled with bacteria. I wouldn't want my dog near it, let alone a human," Collins said.

Holly Milbrandt, Sanibel’s natural resources director, explained that the seaweed, identified as macroalgae, is not harmful to people or pets. She said it was brought ashore by the cold front and serves as a food source for wildlife.

"These types of wash-ups have a lot of benefits for wildlife and shorebirds and things that are able to find food sources there," Milbrandt said.

The seaweed has since washed away, but its sheer volume prompted Nicole Botticelli, an avid shell collector, to record a video and post it online last week.

"I don't always want to post, you know, that perfect postcard beach setting," Botticelli said. "I think people appreciate what the beach looks like from day to day because it changes from day to day."

The city does not remove seaweed when it washes ashore, allowing nature to handle the cleanup. On this occasion, Mother Nature took care of it herself.

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