Weekly red tide report

Over the past week, the red tide organism Karenia brevis was detected in 72 samples along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were present in nine samples: six in Pinellas County and three in Manatee County. We continue to use satellite imagery (USF and NOAA NCCOS) to help track this patchy event. 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, background to medium concentrations in Manatee County, very low concentrations in Sarasota County, very low concentrations in Charlotte County, background to low concentrations in Lee County, and background to very low concentrations in and offshore of Collier County.

Reports of fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were received from Southwest Florida over the past week from Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Lee, and Collier counties. For more details, please visit https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/health/fish-kills-hotline/ and https://visitbeaches.org/.

Over the past week, respiratory irritation suspected to be related to red tide was reported via the Beach Conditions Reporting System and/or the Fish Kill Hotline in Southwest Florida in Pinellas, Sarasota, Lee, and Collier counties.