Red Tide Status Update: 2/7/15

Over the past week, red tide was detected in 66 samples collected from Southwest Florida, and at background concentrations in one sample each from Northwest Florida and Florida’s East Coast. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were observed in 17 samples from Southwest Florida: one from Charlotte County, 13 from and offshore of Lee County, one from Collier County, and two offshore of Monroe County (north of the Florida Keys).

We continue to use chlorophyll satellite imagery (USF, NOAA NCCOS) to track offshore patches suspected to contain K. brevis. Based on satellite imagery from February 6, chlorophyll patches persist along and offshore of Charlotte, Lee, Collier, and Monroe counties. Impacts including respiratory irritation and/or fish kills were reported from these same areas.

Additional details are provided below.

• In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background to low concentrations in and offshore of Pinellas County, very low to low concentrations in Hillsborough County, background to low concentrations in Manatee County, background concentrations in Sarasota County, background to medium concentrations in Charlotte County, background to high concentrations in and offshore of Lee County, background to medium concentrations in Collier County, and low to medium concentrations offshore of Monroe County.
• In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in one sample collected offshore of Levy County.
• Along the Florida East Coast over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in one sample collected offshore of Miami-Dade County.

Fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were reported to FWC’s Fish Kill Hotline and other partners over the past week for Southwest Florida (Charlotte, Lee, Collier, and Monroe counties).

Respiratory Irritation suspected to be related to red tide was reported over the past week in Southwest Florida (Charlotte, Lee, Collier, and Monroe counties). For forecasts that use FWC and partner data, please visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Gulf of Mexico Harmful Algal Blooms Forecast.

Forecasts by the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides for Pinellas County to northern Monroe County predict variable movement of surface and subsurface waters over the next 3.5 days.

The next status report will be issued on Wednesday, February 12. Please check our daily sampling map, which can be accessed via the online status report on our Red Tide Current Status page. For more information on algal blooms and water quality, please visit Protecting Florida Together.

This information, including maps and reports with additional details, is also available on the FWRI Red Tide website. The website also provides links to additional information related to the topic of Florida red tide including satellite imagery, experimental red tide forecasts, shellfish harvesting areas, the FWC Fish Kill Hotline, the Florida Poison Information Center (to report human health effects related to exposure to red tide), and other wildlife related hotlines.

To learn more about various organisms that have been known to cause algal blooms in Florida waters, see the FWRI Red Tide Flickr page. Archived status maps can also be found on Flickr.       

The FWRI HAB group in conjunction with Mote Marine Laboratory now have a facebook page.  Please like our page and learn interesting facts concerning red tide and other harmful algal blooms in Florida.