Bloom concentrations of the Florida red tide organism, Karenia brevis, persist on Florida’s Southwest and Northwest coasts. Patchiness continues to occur in each region. Additional details are provided below. Over the past week in Southwest Florida, K. brevis was observed in samples from and/or offshore of Pinellas to Monroe counties. Observations of >1,000,000 K. brevis [...]
A bloom of the Florida red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was observed from Sarasota to Lee counties in Southwest Florida. In Southwest Florida over the past week, Karenia brevis was observed at low concentrations in one sample collected from Manatee County, background to high concentrations in seventeen samples collected from Sarasota County, very low to [...]
If your pet swims in a red tide patch at the beach, a thorough freshwater rinse as soon as possible is essential. Most dogs lick themselves after swimming and they will consume any toxin/organisms on their fur. Don’t let your pet play in any sea foam – the foam has been shown to be 10X [...]
On July 25, 2014, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reported that a bloom of red tide was confirmed in samples collected offshore of Hernando County. Citizens had been calling FWC’s Fish Kill Hotline to report observations of thousands of dead and dying bottom dwelling reef fish, including grouper, hogfish, white grunt, triggerfish [...]
In our June 2013 newsletter we featured an article on a sensor, known as an Environmental Sample Processor (ESP), described as a garbage can size canister that was launched in the ocean waters off southern Maine to collect and transmit data about toxin producing algae blooms, known as red tides. The sensors contained a pint [...]
At the end of October, 215 researchers from 31 states met in Sarasota for the seventh annual National Harmful Algae Symposium. The event, co-sponsored by Mote Marine and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, was an opportunity for scientists and public health experts to share their latest research. A large part of their focus [...]
There were about 300 manatee deaths in Southwest Florida in 2013 due to red tide. The toxins from red tides affect them when they breathe them in or ingest them while munching on sea grass. Through extensive response efforts, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation and partners rescued 16 manatees suffering from the effects of [...]
