Red Tide Status Report (August 3, 2018)

A bloom of the Florida red tide organism, Karenia brevis, persists in Southwest Florida.

In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in two samples collected from Pinellas County, background concentrations in two samples collected from Manatee County, background to high concentrations in 24 samples collected from or offshore of Sarasota County, low to high concentrations in 10 samples collected from Charlotte County, background to high concentrations in 27 samples collected from or offshore of Lee County, and very low to high concentrations in nine samples collected from Collier County.

Additional samples collected throughout Florida over the past week did not contain K. brevis.

We continue to receive reports of fish kills in Southwest Florida. Over the past week, reports were received for two locations in Manatee County, and multiple locations in Sarasota County, in Charlotte County, in and offshore of Lee County, and in and offshore of Collier County. More detailed information is available at http://myfwc.com/fishkill.

Respiratory irritation was reported over the past week in Manatee County (8/3 at Coquina Beach), Sarasota County (7/28 and 8/1-8/2 at Lido Key; 7/26-7/28, and 7/31-8/3 at Manasota Beach; 7/26-8/3 at Nokomis; 7/26 and 7/30-8/2 at Siesta Key; 7/26-7/29 and 7/31-8/3 at Venice Beach; 7/26-8/3 at Venice North Jetty), Lee County (7/26-8/3 at Bonita Beach; 7/31-8/3 at Bowman’s Beach; 7/26-7/27, 7/30 and 8/1 at Captiva; 7/27-7/29, 8/1 and 8/3 at Causeway Islands; 7/26-8/3 at Gasparilla Island; 7/31 and 8/2 at Light House Beach; 7/26-7/27, 7/30-8/1 and 8/3 at Lovers Key State Park; 7/26-7/28, 7/30-7/31 and 8/2 at Lynn Hall Beach Park; 7/27 and 7/29-8/2 at Newton Park), and Collier County (7/26-8/2 at Barefoot Beach; 7/29-8/2 at Seagate Beach; 7/26, 7/28, and 8/2 at South Marco Beach; 8/2 at Vanderbilt Beach).

Forecasts by the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides for Pinellas to northern Monroe counties predict net northwestern transport of surface waters and southeastern movement of subsurface waters for most areas over the next three days.

Additional information regarding the current status of algal blooms in South Florida is being consolidated and posted on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s website: https://floridadep.gov/dear/algal-bloom.

Red Tide Status Map (August 3, 2018)

View a larger map  (PDF 276KB) (August 3, 2018)

Regional Status Reports and Maps (August 3, 2018)

Southwest coast report  (PDF 237KB) and map  (PDF 383KB) 
East coast report  (PDF 55KB) and map  (PDF 401KB) 
Northwest coast report  (PDF 48KB) and map  (PDF 464KB)

To see detailed information on this week's samples, view the current Statewide Google Earth map for August 3, 2018. 

By using Google Earth, you can zoom in to specific locations and click on stations to see detailed information, including sample date and cell concentration. You must have Google Earth installed on your computer to view this map; the software can be downloaded from the Google Earth website. 

The FWRI Red Tide Status Line is now available to callers throughout the state. FWRI updates the recording each Friday by 5 p.m. Red Tide Status Line: 866-300-9399 (toll-free inside Florida only); 727-552-2448 (outside Florida).

Reports are updated on Friday afternoon except during holidays, in which case the report will be released on the closest day. Additional information, if available, is provided on Wednesday afternoon. To receive an e-mail when the current status has been updated, visit our subscription area.

FWC's Red Tide Action Report

Red tide is a naturally-occurring microscopic alga that has been documented along Florida’s Gulf Coast since the 1840’s and occurs nearly every year. Blooms, or higher-than-normal concentrations, of the Florida red tide alga, Karenia brevis, frequently occur in the Gulf of Mexico. Red tide begins in the Gulf of Mexico 10 to 40 miles offshore and can be transported inshore by winds and currents.

FWC Actions and Partnerships:

• FWC operates the toll-free fish kill hotline. To report fish kills, contact the FWC Fish Kill Hotline at 800-636-0511 or submit a report online. Reports from this hotline help FWC researchers track and better understand the impact of red tide in Florida.
• FWC remains available to local agencies and partners in affected areas, including area business and tourism groups in southwest Florida. Any local agency or group that has any questions or concerns can contact Kelly Richmond from the FWC at 727-502-4784.
• FWC continues to partner with the Florida Department of Health to advise residents and visitors of any potential health impacts. Residents and visitors can contact the DOH’s aquatic toxin experts at 850-245-4250 or contact their local health department for any concern about health safety.
• FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and Mote Marine Laboratory work together to monitor Karenia brevis. This cooperative effort is designed to help mitigate the adverse impacts of red tide. This joint research program that includes red tide monitoring, research and public outreach and education has resulted in better tools and ongoing monitoring for red tides along the Gulf Coast.
• In partnership with the FWC, the Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides (CPR) at the University of South Florida offer a new Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) tracking tool that generates a 3.5-day forecast of the bloom trajectories.
• To protect public health, FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute’s Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) group closely monitors the status of K. brevis on Florida’s coasts, providing technical support to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), the agency that regulates approved shellfish harvesting areas.  
• Since 2000, FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute established a Red Tide Offshore Monitoring Program, which is a volunteer program for citizens to help collect water samples from routine collection points and sites reported for suspected harmful algal blooms (HABs).The timely sampling by volunteers allows researchers to provide an early warning of offshore algal blooms and investigate reported events as they occur. The Program needs volunteers to collect samples from all coastal Florida counties. To view more information visit, Red Tide Offshore Monitoring Program or use the Volunteer SignUp Form.

Red Tide Resources

• Red tide facts and information pocket guide and Fact sheet
• Florida Department of Health　
• Mote Marine Laboratory Beach Condition Reporting System 
• USF Collaboration for the Prediction of Red Tides (CPR) 　
• NOAA Harmful Algal Bloom Operational Forecast System (HAB-OFS) 　
• Florida red tide www.facebook.com/FLHABs/

Previous Regional Status Reports and Maps

July 27, 2018
Southwest coast report  (PDF 225KB) and map  (PDF 382KB) 
East coast report  (PDF 45KB) and map  (PDF 271KB) 
Northwest coast report  (PDF 55KB) and map  (PDF 463KB)
Google Earth map

July 20, 2018
Southwest coast report  (PDF 233KB) and map  (PDF 385KB) 
East coast report  (PDF 54KB) and map  (PDF 400KB) 
Northwest coast report  (PDF 38KB) and map  (PDF 464KB)
Google Earth map

July 13, 2018
Southwest coast report  (PDF 123KB) and map  (PDF 292KB) 
East coast report  (PDF 64KB) and map  (PDF 401KB) 
Northwest coast report  (PDF 45KB) and map  (PDF 347KB)
Google Earth map

July 6, 2018
Southwest coast report  (PDF 141KB) and map  (PDF 403KB) 
East coast report  (PDF 45KB) and map  (PDF 290KB) 
Northwest coast report  (PDF 42KB) and map  (PDF 479KB)
Google Earth map

Additional archived status maps can be found on Flickr

Key for Results

Description	Karenia breviscells/liter	Possible Effects (K. brevis only)
NOT PRESENT - BACKGROUND	background levels of 1,000 cells or less	None anticipated
VERY LOW	>1,000 to 10,000	Possible respiratory irritation; shellfish harvesting closures > 5,000 cells/L
LOW	>10,000 to 100,000	Respiratory irritation, possible fish kills and bloom chlorophyll probably detected by satellites at upper limits
MEDIUM	>100,000 to 1,000,000	Respiratory irritation and probable fish kills
HIGH	>1,000,000	As above plus discoloration

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