Red Tide Fish Kills Reported in Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota Counties

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — The persistent red tide bloom that’s caused problems off Florida’s central and southern Gulf Coast for months is showing no signs of going away any time soon. The bloom’s presence, in fact, spread into slightly into Hillsborough County this week with higher concentrations and fish kills reported in other Tampa Bay area counties.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported Wednesday that the bloom remains very much active from Pinellas south to Lee County.

“Fish kills affecting multiple species were last reported in Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties on Dec. 8,” the agency’s report said. “Slight respiratory irritation has been reported in areas of Sarasota County over the past week.”

Red tide is a naturally occurring organism found in Gulf 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 medium concentrations in seven samples
• Hillsborough County – background concentrations in one sample
• Manatee County – very low to high concentrations in eight samples
• Sarasota County – medium to high concentrations in eight samples
• Charlotte County – low to medium concentrations in seven samples
• Lee County – very low to medium concentrations in 12 samples

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