Red Tide Status Update for March 3, 2023

Current Conditions
Over the past week, the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was detected in 114 samples from and offshore of Southwest Florida, and one sample from Northwest Florida. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were present in 56 samples from Southwest Florida: 17 in Pinellas County, one offshore of Hillsborough County, one in Manatee County, 16 in Sarasota County, two in Charlotte County, three in Lee County, 15 in and offshore of Collier County, and one offshore of Monroe County. We continue to use satellite imagery (USF and NOAA NCCOS) to help track this patchy event. Additional details are provided below.

• In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at very low to high concentrations in Pinellas County, background to high concentrations in and offshore of Hillsborough County, very low to medium concentrations in Manatee County, background to high concentrations in Sarasota County, background to high concentrations in Charlotte County, very low to high concentrations in Lee County, background to high concentrations in and offshore of Collier County, and very low to medium concentrations offshore of Monroe County.
• In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in Okaloosa County.
• Along the Florida East Coast over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.

Reports of fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were received in Southwest Florida over the past week from Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties, and offshore of Monroe County. For more details, please visit https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/health/fish-kills-hotline/ and https://visitbeaches.org/.

Over the past week, respiratory irritation suspected to be related to red tide was reported in Southwest Florida via the Beach Conditions Reporting System and/or the Fish Kill Hotline at multiple sites in Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties, and offshore of Monroe County. For recent and current information at individual beaches, please visit https://visitbeaches.org/ and for forecasts that use FWC and partner data, please visit https://habforecast.gcoos.org/.

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

The next status report will be issued on Wednesday, March 8^th. 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.