Red Tide Lingers Off Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota Counties

CLEARWATER, FL — While concentration levels have improved over the last week, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says a bloom of red tide off shore of the Tampa Bay area is still causing some issues.

Over the past week, the state found background to medium concentrations of K. brevis, the organism that causes red tide, in 22 water samples collected from Pinellas County. Background to low concentrations were found in 15 samples collected in Manatee County. Only background-to-low concentrations of the organism were found in seven samples taken from Sarasota County waters.

“Fish kills and respiratory irritation were reported over the past week at multiple Pinellas County coastal beaches,” the state wrote in Friday’s Red Tide Status report. The most recent reports of respiratory irritation came from Redington Beach. Fish kills were reported at Madeira, Redington and Indian Shores beaches, the state noted.

Red tide is an algae that occurs naturally in the Gulf that can cause respiratory irritations when it accumulates in large amounts. Toxins in red tide can “enter the air and cause respiratory irritation among beachgoers, such as coughing, sneezing or a scratchy throat,” the Mote Marine Laboratory explains on its website. Mote scientists conduct year-round monitoring of Bay area waters.

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 banned 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.

Map courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife