Red Tide report 12/4/15

(Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.) Based on the most recent available satellite images and analysis of water samples, blooms of Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, persist along Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, and Gulf counties in Northwest Florida and Pinellas, Manatee, and Sarasota counties in Southwest Florida. Very low concentrations were also confirmed in Charlotte and Lee counties. In Northwest Florida over the past week, Karenia brevis was detected in high concentrations in 1 sample collected alongshore of Escambia County; low concentrations in 1 inshore sample collected from Santa Rosa County; low to high concentrations in 4 samples collected in, along, and offshore of Okaloosa County; medium concentrations in 1 sample collected alongshore of Walton County; background to high concentrations in 12 samples collected in, along, and offshore of Bay County; and background to very low concentrations in 3 samples collected in, along, and offshore of Gulf County. In Southwest Florida, K. brevis was detected in medium concentrations in 3 samples collected in and alongshore of Pinellas County; low to high concentrations in 10 samples collected in and alongshore of Manatee County; very low to high concentrations in 25 samples collected in and alongshore of Sarasota County; background to very low concentrations in 3 samples collected in and alongshore of Charlotte County; and background to very low concentrations in 6 samples collected in, along, and offshore of Lee County. Along the Gulf Coast, samples were not collected this week from Levy, Citrus, Hernando, or Pasco counties. Fish kills and respiratory irritation have been reported in both Northwest and Southwest Florida including Destin, Miramar, and Fort Walton Beaches in Northwest Florida and Tierra Verde, Holmes Beach, Blind Pass, and Treasure Island in Southwest Florida, although some fish kills in Northwest Florida may be unrelated to red tide. Forecasts by the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides show little net movement of bloom waters over the next three days. This information, including maps and reports with additional details, is also available on the FWRI Red Tide website. The website also provides links to additional information related to the topic of Florida red tide including satellite imagery, experimental red tide forecasts, shellfish harvesting areas, the FWC Fish Kill Hotline, the Florida Poison Information Center (to report human health effects related to exposure to red tide), and other wildlife related hotlines. To learn more about various organisms that have been known to cause algal blooms in Florida waters, see the FWRI Red Tide Flickr page. Archived status maps can also be found on Flickr.

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