Red Tide Status Update for November 8, 2024

Current Conditions
Over the past week, the red tide organism Karenia brevis was detected in 56 samples collected from Florida’s Gulf Coast. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were not observed. We continue to monitor satellite imagery (NOAA, USF) and offshore and alongshore patches of elevated chlorophyll, however, there has been extensive cloud cover across much of Southwest Florida, providing only spotty coverage over the past few days.  Confirmatory offshore sampling was not possible over the past week due to weather. Offshore sampling over the next week will help provide more information. 

Additional details are provided below.

• In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background to low concentrations in Pinellas County, very low to low concentrations in Manatee County, background to low concentrations in Sarasota, Charlotte, and Lee counties, and background concentrations in one sample collected from Collier County.
• In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background and very low concentrations in Franklin County.
• Along the Florida East Coast over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.

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 (along Pinellas, Sarasota, Charlotte, and Lee Counties).

Respiratory Irritation suspected to be related to red tide was reported over the past week in Southwest Florida (along Pinellas, Sarasota, Charlotte, and Lee 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 net western to northwestern movement of surface waters and variable transport of subsurface waters in most areas over the next 3.5 days.

The next status report will be issued on Wednesday, November 13^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.