FWC RED TIDE REPORT (FEBRUARY 19, 2021)
VIEW MAP OF FLORIDA COUNTIES BY CLICKING ON "READ MORE" BELOW.
Current Conditions
The red tide organism, Karenia brevis, persists in Southwest Florida. K. brevis was detected in 31 samples. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were observed in eight samples collected from and offshore of Lee County. Recent satellite imagery (2/15; NOAA, USF) indicates that chlorophyll patches persist along and/or offshore of Lee, Collier, and Monroe counties. One Northwest Florida sample had background levels of K. brevis. Additional details are provided below.1. In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at very low concentrations in Charlotte County, background to medium concentrations in or offshore of Lee County, and very low to low concentrations in Collier County.
2. In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in Bay County.
3. Along the Florida East Coast over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.
Fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were reported over the past week in Lee and Collier counties. For more details, please visit: https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/health/fish-kills-hotline/.
Respiratory irritation was reported over the past week in Southwest Florida in Lee County.
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.
The next complete status report will be issued on Friday, February 26th. 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.
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