For the first time since September of 2017, Florida’s coastal waters are testing completely free of the organism that causes red tide. A report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has found that “Karenia Brevis algae was not present in any water samples collected around the state in the past week.”1
The bloom has tapered off in recent months, only remaining at high concentrations in isolated areas. The last bloom concentrations of the algae were detected on Jan. 31 in waters off of Monroe County.
Last week, a background concentration (up to 1,000 cells of K. Brevis per liter) was detected in one Collier County water sample. Fish kills were reported in Collier over the past week but not anywhere else in the state.
The most recent sample map from FWC shows that red tide is not present at any water test sites in the state of Floirda.
FWC. All waters off Manatee County and Anna Maria again tested free of red tide. The last trace of red tide in the area was a background concentration off of Longboat Pass on Jan. 28.
Respiratory irritation was reported in Manatee County as well as Pinellas and Lee counties.
Short-term red tide tracking maps produced by the College of Marine Science at University of South Florida and the Florida Wildlife Research Institute predict that waters in the Tampa Bay region and the west Florida shelf will remain red-tide-free over the next three days.
FWC will issue the next statewide red tide status report on Friday.
For more information, call 866-300-9399 anytime from anywhere in Florida to get the latest red tide status report. Call 727-552-2448 from outside Florida.
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