Red Tide Fish Kills Reported Along Central Gulf Coast

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — As a persistent Florida red tide bloom continues to plague the central Gulf Coast region of Florida, reports of fish kills and people experiencing respiratory irritations have come in from multiple beaches. The bloom that stretches from Pinellas County south to Lee has been an ongoing concern for several months.

In its Friday Red Tide Status report, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission noted that no water samples taken in the region over the past week showed high concentrations of the red tide organism. Even so, multiple reports about respiratory irritations and fish kills did roll in.

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Respiratory irritations were reported at beaches in the following counties:

• Manatee – From Coquina and Manatee beaches
• Sarasota – Venice North Jetty, Siesta Key, Manasota Beach, Lido Key and Nokomis
• Lee – Bowmans Beach

Fish kills were reported by county as follows:

• Manatee – Manatee Beach
• Sarasota – Siesta and Lido keys and Nokomis Beach
• Lee – Bonita Beach

Red tide, also known as Karenia brevis, is a naturally occurring organism found in Gulf of Mexico 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 very low concentrations in three sample
• Manatee County – background to very low concentrations in six samples
• Sarasota County – background to medium concentrations in 26 samples
• Charlotte County – background to low concentrations in six samples
• Lee County – background to low concentrations in 21 samples

A sample taken from the east coast’s Brevard County also contained background concentrations, FWC reported.

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