Red Tide Status Update for January 31, 2025

Current Conditions
Over the past week, the red tide organism Karenia brevis was detected in 75 samples collected from Florida’s Gulf Coast. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were observed in 15 samples from Southwest Florida: seven from and offshore of Lee County, three offshore of Collier County, and five offshore of Monroe County. We continue to use chlorophyll satellite imagery (USF, NOAA NCCOS) to track offshore patches suspected to contain K. brevis. Based on satellite imagery from January 29 and 30, chlorophyll patches were observed to have intensified since last week, covering areas offshore of Charlotte, Lee, Collier, and Monroe counties. An ongoing, offshore research cruise has confirmed the presence of K. brevis in these areas of high chlorophyll signatures.

Additional details are provided below.

• In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background to low concentrations in Pinellas County, background to low concentrations in and offshore of Hillsborough County, background to low concentrations in Manatee County, background to low concentrations in and offshore of Sarasota County, background to low concentrations in and offshore of Charlotte County, background to high concentrations in and offshore of Lee and Collier counties, 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 Okaloosa County and very low concentrations in two samples collected offshore of Hernando 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 (Sarasota, Lee, Collier, and Monroe counties).

Respiratory Irritation suspected to be related to red tide was reported over the past week in Southwest Florida (Sarasota, 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 over the next 3.5 days predict net northern movement of surface waters for Pinellas County to northern Monroe County and net northwestern transport of subsurface waters from Pinellas County to Lee County.

The next status report will be issued on Wednesday, February 5. 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.