Red Tide Woes Continue Along West Florida Coast

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — Fish kills and reports of respiratory irritation continued over the past week in waters off the west central Florida coast. A persistent and patchy red tide bloom that’s plagued the region for months is blamed for the troubles.

In its Friday Red Tide Status update report, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the red tide organism was found in water samples collected from Pinellas County south to Lee County.

“Over the past week, fish kills affecting multiple species have been reported along Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota and Lee counties,” the report said. “Respiratory irritation was reported along Manatee and Sarasota counties.”

Red tide, also known as Karenia brevis, is a naturally occurring organism found in Gulf waters. When it accumulates in large amounts, it can kill fish and cause respiratory problems for people and animals.

Toxins in red tide can “enter the air and cause respiratory irritation among beachgoers, such as coughing, sneezing or a scratchy throat,” according to Sarasota’s Mote Marine Laboratory. Mote scientists conduct year-round monitoring of Bay area waters.

According to FWC, red tide was found in water samples as follows over the past week:

• Pinellas County – background to medium concentrations in 11 samples
• Manatee County – background to medium concentrations in 17 samples
• Sarasota County – low to high concentrations in 30 samples
• Charlotte County – background to low concentrations in five samples
• Lee County – background to low concentrations in five samples

The agency also noted that one sample taken from Gulf County in the northwest part of the state also contained background concentrations.

Florida red tide blooms are known to be patchy, according to Mote Marine. That means a beach with a high concentration of the organism can be located close to another that’s not experiencing issues.

Beachgoers with respiratory conditions, such as emphysema and asthma, may be more susceptible to red tide irritants. FWC recommends these public health tips when red tide is present:

• People who experience issues, such as nose, throat and eye irritations may want to leave the immediate area
• Those with severe or chronic respiratory conditions should avoid areas that are known to have active red tide
• When dead fish are present alongshore, it is advised that beachgoers avoid swimming in the water
• Red tide may also pose a risk to pets. Pets should not eat fish or drink water from water with a high concentration of red tide
• Recreational harvesting of such mollusks as hard clams, mussels and oysters is banded when red tide is present. To find out if harvest of shellfish is available in an area, visit the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Aquaculture online.

To find out the conditions on local beaches, check out Mote Marine’s online tracking tool. To find out more about red tide and its presence in Florida, visit FWC online.

To report fish kills, call the FWC’s Fish Kill hotline at 800-636-0511 or submit a report online. FWC updates red tide status on Friday afternoons.

Map courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission