Florida: More Red Tide Woes for Southwest Florida
A bloom of the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, persists in Southwest Florida. Additional details are provided below.
- In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background to very low concentrations in Pinellas County, background concentrations in Manatee County, background to low concentrations in Sarasota County, very low to high concentrations in and/or offshore of Charlotte County, background to high concentrations in and/or offshore of Lee County, and very low to high concentrations in and/or offshore of Collier County. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 K. brevis cells per liter) persist in Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties, and high concentrations (>1 million cells per liter) were observed in 23 samples. These included coastal, inlet, and estuarine sites in Charlotte and Lee Counties, as well as samples collected as far as 7-10 miles offshore of Lee and Collier counties.
- 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.
In Southwest Florida over the past week, fish kill reports were received for Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties (please see https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/health/fish-kills-hotline).
Respiratory irritation was reported over the past week in Southwest Florida at multiple beaches in Sarasota and Lee counties. Read more