Red tide was found in background concentrations in one water sample taken from Gulf County waters last week

Red tide was found in background concentrations in one water sample taken from Gulf County waters last week.

According to the state's weekly red tide report, the positive sample was found at St. Joseph Point, southwest of the St. Joseph Bay.

Red Tide is an organism that in large enough concentrations releases a neurotoxin that can kill fish and even affect humans with eye, nose and throat irritation.

In 2015 a persistent red tide bloom decimated the scallop population in St. Joe Bay.

The scallops are rebounding, but the opening of scallop season has been delayed because of an algae bloom.

The Bay Scallop season in Gulf County was supposed to open on July 25th but was postponed because of a Pseudo-nitzschia bloom.

The algae does not harm scallops directly and shouldn’t cause scallop population declines, but it does produce domoic acid, which can harm marine mammals and seabirds and can cause Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning in humanswho eat contaminate shellfish.

State agencies are sampling and testing scallops and other shellfish in the bay to determine when they are safe for consumption.



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