Beach Goers Warned Of Red Tide; Workers Clean Up Fish Kills

TAMPA BAY, FL — Residents headed to the beach this weekend should beware if they experience irritation in their eyes, noses or throats.

This could be a sign that there's an unhealthy amount of red tide along the beach.

County health departments have issued an ongoing warning to people who visit the beaches as several red tide blooms persist along the coast.

The DOH said people who are exposed to the red tide organism may experience respiratory symptoms, and people with asthma and other breathing problems could experience more severe symptoms, especially when the wind is blowing onshore.

The DOH recommends that people not swim, eat fish caught in areas with red tide and keep pets away from the water.

A patchy bloom of the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, persists on the Florida Gulf Coast, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background to high concentrations in Pinellas County (in 21 samples), very low to high concentrations in Hillsborough County (in seven samples), and one sample in Pasco County. However, the FWC said the bloom will be moving north over the next four days, causing increased concerns from Pasco County north along the coast.

Nevertheless, the concentrations aren't high enough for alarm and all beaches remain open.

Those considering a visit to the beach can monitor red tide levels in the area using the Red Tide Respiratory Forecast tool.

While there are too many variables for experts to predict whether this bloom will dissipate or worsen, there have been fish kills reported in Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties, which have organized work crews to clean up the dead marine life.

The counties say they will continue to monitor the red tide levels and will alert the public of potential health impacts.

“We’re monitoring the situation closely in coordination with municipal and state partners,” said Kelli Hammer Levy, director of Pinellas County Public Works. “We’re not anywhere near the impacts we saw in 2018, but we’re watching this closely from the land, the sea and the air. We’ll keep our community informed and provide necessary support as needed.”

Residents can report fish kills to the FWC through the FWC Reporter app, by calling 800-636-0511 or by submitting a report online. Residents who find dead fish near their boat dock can retrieve them with a skimmer and dispose of them with their regular trash.

Occurrences of red tide in the Gulf of Mexico have been documented for centuries, but blooms can be worsened by excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous. In Pinellas County, fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus cannot be used or sold through Sept. 30, and phosphorus cannot be used any time of year unless a soil test confirms that it is needed.

The FWC will issue another report on Friday.

Click here to learn more about red tide.

For more information on FWC's latest report, click here.