Current Conditions
The red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was observed in one Southwest Florida sample over the past week. Additional details for K. brevis according to region are provided below.
We have received several reports of a bloom – not K. brevis – offshore of Southwest Florida over the past few weeks. This bloom is also visible in satellite chlorophyll imagery provided by USF and NOAA. Samples from offshore and coastal sites along Southwest Florida and Florida’s East Coast helped identify this as a patchy bloom of the marine cyanobacterium Trichodesmium. This alga blooms each year, has not been shown to be toxic in Florida’s waters, and often resembles sawdust but can change color as it decomposes.
In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was present at background concentrations in one Manatee County sample.
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.
No fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were reported over the past week.
No reports of respiratory irritation were received over the past week.
Report courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
