Red Tide Status Update: 3/7/25

Over the past week, red tide was detected in 16 samples collected from Florida’s Gulf Coast. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were not observed. However, cells were present in samples along or offshore of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, and Charlotte counties in Southwest Florida.

We continue to use chlorophyll satellite imagery (USF, NOAA NCCOS) to help track nearshore and offshore conditions, and the patches of elevated surface chlorophyll that we have been following over the past few months appear to have dissipated. We will continue to monitor closely.    

Additional details are provided below.

• In Southwest Florida over the past week,  K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in Pinellas County, background to low concentrations in Hillsborough County, background to very low concentrations offshore of Manatee County, and background and very low concentrations in Charlotte County.
• 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.

A fish kill suspected to be related to red tide was reported to FWC's Fish Kill Hotline and other partners over the past week for Southwest Florida at Sarasota County (Turtle Beach on February 27).

Respiratory irritation suspected to be related to red tide was not reported over the past week in Southwest Florida. For forecasts that use FWC and partner data, please visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Gulf Coast 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 in most areas over the next 3.5 days.

A midweek status update will be available on Wednesday, March 12^th. The next status report will be issued on Friday, March 7. 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.       

Please follow our facebook page for status updates and other interesting facts about red tide and other harmful algal blooms in Florida.