Wednesday, October 30, 2024:
Red tide has returned to SWFL. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, over the past week, the red tide organism Karenia brevis was detected in 85 samples collected from Florida’s Gulf Coast.
October and November are traditionally the months most frequently impacted by red tide, but moderate to high concentrations can last through the winter. We tend to see it especially prevalent following major hurricanes.
In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background to medium concentrations in and offshore of Pinellas County, background to low concentrations in and offshore of Hillsborough County, very low to medium concentrations in and offshore of Manatee County, background to high concentrations in and offshore of Sarasota County, medium to high concentrations offshore of Charlotte County, very low to medium concentrations in and offshore of Lee County, and background to medium concentrations offshore of Collier County.
What is Red Tide?
"Red tide" is one of the most well-known harmful algal blooms (HABs) caused by Karenia brevis, a type of algae that produces potent neurotoxins. The toxins can be suspended in the air near beaches and cause respiratory illness in humans. They can also accumulate in shellfish and cause fish kills.
Blooms also discolor the water and cause widespread mortality of fish, turtles, birds, and marine mammals. While these events are most frequent in coastal regions of southwest Florida, they occur to a lesser extent throughout the Gulf region.
If it's in moderate concentrations so close to shore, why aren't we "feeling" it at local beaches?
The wind has been the key recently. Offshore winds out of the east are keeping these concentrations offshore, blowing away from local beaches.
Fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were reported to FWC's Fish Kill Hotline and other partners over the past week for Southwest Florida (Pinellas, Sarasota, Charlotte, and Lee counties).
