FWC Red Tide Update 10.20.21

 

 

FWC Red Tide Update 10.20.21

Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC

 

 

VIA FWC

 

Current Conditions
A patchy bloom of the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, persists along Florida’s Gulf coast, where cells were detected in 173 samples over the past week. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were observed in 51 samples: 12 from and offshore of Bay County, three from offshore of Gulf County, one from Franklin County, two from offshore of Dixie County, two from offshore of Levy County, two from and offshore of Pasco County, six from and offshore of Pinellas County, seven from Manatee County, 13 from Sarasota County, one from Charlotte County, and two from Lee County. Additional details are provided below.

• In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background to high concentrations in and offshore of Pinellas County (in 13 samples), very low to low concentrations in Hillsborough County (in six samples), background to high concentrations in Manatee County (in 24 samples), background to high concentrations in Sarasota County (in 50 samples), background to medium concentrations in Charlotte County (in nine samples), and background to medium concentrations in Lee County (in three samples). Samples collected from or offshore of Collier and Monroe counties did not contain K. brevis.
• In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at low concentrations in Santa Rosa County (in one sample), very low to low concentrations in Walton County (in three samples), very low to high concentrations in and offshore of Bay County (in 14 samples), background to medium concentrations in and offshore of Gulf County (in 13 samples), very low to medium concentrations in Franklin County (in five samples), very low concentrations offshore of Taylor County (in one sample), background to medium concentrations offshore of Dixie County (in nine samples), background to high concentrations in and offshore of Levy County (in 16 samples), background concentrations offshore of Hernando County (in one sample), and very low to medium concentrations in and offshore of Pasco County (in three samples). Samples collected from or offshore of Escambia, Okaloosa, Wakulla, and Citrus counties did not contain K. brevis.
• Along the Florida East Coast over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in St. Johns County (in two samples). Samples collected from Volusia, Brevard, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade counties did not contain K. brevis.

Fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were reported on the Florida Gulf Coast in Bay, Gulf, Franklin, Dixie, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and Lee counties over the past week. For more details, please visit: https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/health/fish-kills-hotline/.

Respiratory irritation suspected to be related to red tide was reported over the past week on the Florida Gulf Coast in Franklin, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, and Lee counties. For recent and current information at individual beaches, please visit https://visitbeaches.org/ and for forecasts that use FWC and partner data, please visit https://habforecast.gcoos.org/.

Forecasts by the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides for Escambia County to central Pinellas County predict western/northwestern movement of surface waters and minimal net transport of subsurface waters in most areas over the next 3.5 days. Southwestern movement of surface waters and southeastern movement of subsurface waters are predicted from central Pinellas County to northern Monroe County in most areas.