Red Tide Levels Improve In Tampa Bay Area

BRADENTON, FL — After weeks of tracking fish kills and reports of people experiencing respiratory irritation in waters along the Central Gulf Coast of Florida, state officials on Wednesday had improved news to share. For the first time in a while, the red tide organism was found only in background to very low levels in water samples collected from Pinellas County south to Lee.

In its midweek red tide status update, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission noted no reports of fish kills or people complaining about red tide-related respiratory irritations. While Karenia brevis, the organism that creates red tide, was still present in local waters, its levels were much lower than those found earlier this month when fish kills were reported in Manatee, Sarasota and Lee counties. Concentration levels reported in early April ranged from background to medium in the Tampa Bay area.

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

• Pinellas County – background concentrations in two samples
• Manatee County – background concentration in one sample
• Sarasota County – background to very low concentrations in eight samples
• Lee County – background concentrations in seven samples

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.

Whether Wednesday’s good news will hold remains to be seen. FWC is scheduled to release an updated report in time for the weekend.

To check on the conditions at local beaches, Mote Marine’s online tracking tool is available for use. 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.

Map courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission