Red Tide Status Update: 9/20/24

Over the past week, Red Tide was detected in 11 samples from Southwest Florida. We continue to use satellite imagery (USF and NOAA NCCOS) to help track nearshore and offshore conditions. Additional details are provided below.

• In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background to very low concentrations in Pinellas County, background concentrations in Manatee County, background to low concentrations in Sarasota County, and background concentrations in Charlotte County.
• In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.
• Along the Florida East Coast over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.

Reports of fish kills potentially related to red tide were received from FWC's Fish Kill Hotline or Mote Marine Laboratory’s Beach Conditions Reporting System over the past week in Southwest Florida in Sarasota County. 

Respiratory Irritation potentially related to red tide was reported in Southwest Florida in Sarasota County (9/17-9/19 at Siesta Key Beach; 9/18 at Venice North Jetty Beach) over the past week.  For recent and current information at individual beaches, please visit Mote Marine Laboratory’s Beach Conditions Reporting System and for forecasts that use FWC and partner data, please visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Gulf of Mexico Harmful Algal Blooms Forecast.

Forecasts by the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides for Pinellas County to northern Monroe County predict variable movement of surface waters and net east to southeast movement of subsurface waters over the next 3.5 days.

The next status report will be issued on Friday, September 27. Please check our daily sampling map, which can be accessed via the online status report on our Red Tide Current Status page. For more information on algal blooms and water quality, please visit Protecting Florida Together.

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.       

The FWRI HAB group in conjunction with Mote Marine Laboratory now have a facebook page.  Please like our page and learn interesting facts concerning red tide and other harmful algal blooms in Florida.