Current Conditions
A patchy bloom of the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, persists in Southwest Florida. Over the past week, K. brevis was detected in 58 samples. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were observed in 13 Lee County samples and four Collier County samples. Satellite imagery (1/26; NOAA, USF) indicates the presence of patches of chlorophyll >5 miles offshore of Lee, Collier, and Monroe counties.
In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations offshore of Charlotte County, background to high concentrations in and offshore of Lee County, and background to medium concentrations in and offshore of Collier County. Samples from Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, and Monroe counties did not contain red tide.
In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.
Along the Florida East Coast over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.
Fish Kills
In Southwest Florida over the past week, several reports of fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were received for Lee and Collier counties.
Respiratory Irritation
Respiratory irritation was reported over the past week in Southwest Florida in Lee and Collier counties.
Report courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
