FWC RED TIDE REPORT (DECEMBER 5, 2020)
VIEW MAP OF FLORIDA COUNTIES BY CLICKING ON "READ MORE" BELOW.
Current Conditions
The red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was observed over the past week in Southwest Florida at background to low concentrations in 21 samples and at bloom concentrations (> 100,000 cells/liter) in one sample. Background levels were observed in one Northwest Florida sample. Additional details are provided below.
In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background to very low concentrations in Pinellas and Manatee counties, background to low concentrations in Sarasota County, very low concentrations in Charlotte County, and very low to medium concentrations in Lee County.
In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in one sample collected from Escambia County.
Along the Florida East Coast over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.
No fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were reported over the past week (please see https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/health/fish-kills-hotline).
Respiratory irritation was reported over the past week in Pinellas County at Indian Shores (11/28-11/29).
Forecasts by the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides for Pinellas to northern Monroe counties predict variable movement of surface waters and net southeastern transport of subsurface waters in most areas over the next four days.
A bloom of an unidentified marine/estuarine cyanobacterium continues within the northern part of the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) system. This bloom has been causing greenish water discoloration. Additional testing and sampling by FWRI and other partners is ongoing throughout the IRL. For more sampling results related to this bloom, please visit https://floridadep.gov/algalbloom.
The next complete status report will be issued on Friday, December 11th. 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.
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