Red tide, caused by the organism Karenia brevis, has been detected in 34 samples collected from Florida’s Gulf Coast over the past week. Bloom concentrations (greater than 100,000 cells/liter) were observed in five samples, including one from Charlotte County and four from Lee County.
Satellite imagery, used to track offshore patches suspected of containing K. brevis, has been hampered by recent cloud cover over Southwest Florida.
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However, imagery from January 28th indicates intensified chlorophyll patches offshore of Charlotte, Lee, Collier, and Monroe counties. An ongoing offshore research cruise has confirmed the presence of K. brevis in these areas of high chlorophyll signatures.
In Southwest Florida, K. brevis concentrations ranged from background to very low in Pinellas County, low in Hillsborough County, background to low in Manatee and Sarasota counties, very low to medium in Charlotte County, very low to high in Lee County, and background to very low in Collier County. In Northwest Florida, very low concentrations were observed offshore of Hernando County. No K. brevis was observed along the Florida East Coast.
Fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were reported to the FWC’s Fish Kill Hotline and other partners over the past week in Southwest Florida counties including Sarasota, Lee, Collier, and Monroe. Respiratory irritation, also suspected to be linked to red tide, was reported in the same Southwest Florida counties.
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Forecasts utilizing FWC and partner data are available through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Gulf of Mexico Harmful Algal Blooms Forecast. Forecasts from the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides, covering Pinellas County to northern Monroe County, predict variable movement of surface waters and a net southeastern transport of subsurface waters in most areas over the next 3.5 days.
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