Current Conditions
The red tide organism, Karenia brevis was detected in 59 samples collected along Florida’s Gulf Coast over the past week. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were present in nine samples: one offshore of Pinellas County, one in Hillsborough County, four in Manatee County, two in Sarasota County, and one offshore of Charlotte County. Additional details are provided below.
In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background to medium concentrations in and offshore of Pinellas County, medium concentrations in Hillsborough County, background to medium concentrations in Manatee County, background to medium concentrations in Sarasota County, low and high concentrations in and offshore of Charlotte County, and background to low concentrations in and offshore of Lee County.
In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in one sample collected from Santa Rosa County.
Along the Florida East Coast over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.
Reports of fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were received in Southwest Florida from Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte counties over the past week.
Respiratory irritation suspected to be related to red tide was reported via the Beach Conditions Reporting System over the past week in Southwest Florida in Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte counties. Additional details are provided in the Southwest Coast report. Reports of respiratory irritation from these counties were also received through the Fish Kill Hotline. For recent and current information at individual beaches, please visit https://visitbeaches.org/
Red Tide Status Report Courtesy of FWC
