Red Tide Concerns Linger in Tampa Bay Area

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Tampa Bay area beach lovers will want to monitor red tide reports before hitting the water. Red tide blooms that have caused problems in some parts of Sarasota, Manatee and Pinellas counties are still around and now Hillsborough County is beginning to see some infiltration.

In its Red Tide Status report filed Friday, the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission noted that samples taken from waters offshore those four counties had all tested positive. Concentration levels of Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, varied.

Here’s a county-by-county look at FWC’s testing results:

• Pinellas County – Six samples were taken alongshore with concentrations ranging from low to high
• Hillsborough County – Three samples were taken inshore of Hillsborough County with background to low concentrations reported
• Manatee County – Seven samples were collected alongshore here with low to medium concentrations reported
• Sarasota County – 25 samples were collected here with background to high concentrations reported

FWC reported that no samples were collected from Pasco, Hernando, Citrus and a few other counties last week.

“Fish kills and respiratory irritation continue to be reported in bloom areas in both Northwest and Southwest Florida,” the report 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 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, visit the Mote Marine Laboratory online. To find out more about red tide and its presence in Florida, visit FWC online.

Map courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission