FWC WATER SAMPLES
FWC water sampling shows red tide continues to move south
The latest sampling results from FWC show the red tide in our region following hurricanes Helene and Milton continues to push south.
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Current Red Tide Status Map | Respitory Forecast | Beach Conditions
The latest sampling results from FWC show the red tide in our region following hurricanes Helene and Milton continues to push south.
Experts at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science say storm runoff could make it worse.
Florida’s Department of Health has lifted the red tide health advisory at all 16 beaches in Sarasota County.
Captains say good water policy can help save wildlife during red tide.
CMA rescued the turtle and said his red tide level is improving.
The Seaside Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Rocks Beach is finding more and more birds sick with red tide poisoning.
Officials in Manatee County are taking extra steps to control fish kills along the county’s waterways and beaches.
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A red tide, or harmful algal bloom, is a higher-than-normal concentration of a microscopic alga (plantlike organism). In Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, the species that causes most red tides is Karenia brevis, often abbreviated as K. brevis. To distinguish K. brevis blooms from red tides caused by other species of algae, researchers in Florida call the former the “Florida red tide.”
No, red tides were documented in the southern Gulf of Mexico as far back as the 1700s and along Florida's Gulf coast in the 1840s. Fish kills near Tampa Bay were even mentioned in the records of Spanish explorers.
Red tides can last as little as a few weeks or longer than a year. They can even subside and then reoccur. The duration of a bloom in nearshore Florida waters depends on physical and biological conditions that influence its growth and persistence, including sunlight, nutrients and salinity, as well as the speed and direction of wind and water currents.
Some people experience respiratory irritation (coughing, sneezing, tearing and an itchy throat) when the Florida red tide organism, K. brevis, is present and winds blow onshore. Offshore winds usually keep respiratory effects experienced by those on the shore to a minimum. The Florida Department of Health advises people with severe or chronic respiratory conditions, such as emphysema or asthma, to avoid red tide areas.
SOURCE: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Red Tide page
Use above number if you find a dead, sick, or injured manatee or sea turtle, or you would like to report a wildlife law violation.
Call 866-300-9399 at any time from anywhere in Florida to hear a recording about red tide conditions throughout the state.
Modeled forecast of respiratory irritation at individual beach locations, based on field samples of Karenia brevis concentration, wind speed, and direction. Source: NOAA
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Provides today’s conditions at multiple beaches along the west coast of Florida, this includes respiratory irritation, rip currents, wind, and others. Source: Visitbeaches.org
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