A bloom of the Florida red tide organism, Karenia brevis, persists along Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and northern Lee counties in Southwest Florida.
Over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background to very low concentrations in 4 samples collected from Pinellas County; background to low concentrations in 6 samples collected from Manatee County; background to low concentrations in 32 samples collected from Sarasota County; background to low concentrations in 9 samples collected from Charlotte County; and very low concentrations in 2 samples collected from northern Lee County.
In addition, one sample collected from Okaloosa County (Northwest Florida) contained background concentrations of K. brevis.
Courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
