Red Tide Current Status Statewide Information

 

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REGIONAL RED TIDE SUMMARIES (November 20)

East Region:  Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week alongshore of Brevard and Indian River counties or offshore of Broward County.

Northwest Region:  Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week alongshore of Okaloosa and Gulf counties or offshore of Okaloosa County.

Southwest Region: Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week alongshore of Pinellas, Charlotte or Lee counties or offshore of the Florida Keys (Monroe County). One sample collected alongshore of Sarasota County (out of 29 total samples) contained background concentrations of K. brevis. Two samples collected offshore of Sarasota County ranged from present to low concentrations. One sample collected inside of Sarasota Bay (Manatee County) contained background concentrations of K. brevis and two samples collected alongshore of Collier County ranged from present to very low.

The FWRI Red Tide Status Line is now available to callers to hear a recording detailing red tide conditions throughout the state. FWRI updates the recording each Friday by 5 p.m. after sampling efforts for the week have been completed and analyzed. Red Tide Status Line: (866) 300-9399 (toll-free inside Florida only); (727) 552-2448 (outside Florida).

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Select a date to view a printable copy (pdf file) of current and previous status reports for each region.

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Current Status Reports

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MAP OF RED TIDE COUNTS

 

Description	Karenia brevis (cells/liter)	Possible Effects (K. brevis only)
PRESENT	background levels of 1,000 cells or less	None
VERY LOWa	>1,000 to <5,000	Possible respiratory irritation
VERY LOWb	5,000 to 10,000	Possible respiratory irritation and shellfish harvesting closures
LOWa	>10,000 to <50,000	Respiratory irritation, but chlorophyll levels too low to be detected by satellites
LOWb	50,000 to <100,000	Respiratory irritation, maybe fish kills, and bloom chlorophyll probably detected by satellites
MEDIUM	100,000 to <1,000,000	Respiratory irritation and probable fish kills
HIGH	>1,000,000	As above plus discoloration

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RELATED LINKS

Hotlines and Reporting Sites for Effects on Marine Animals

• FWRI Fish Kill Hotline: (800) 636-0511 (toll-free)
  The FWRI Fish Kill Hotline is available for callers to report fish kills, diseased fish, or fish with other abnormalities. The hotline’s recorded message asks callers to leave contact information and a detailed report. A biologist will contact the caller, usually the following workday, if more information is needed. This service is part of a federally funded project to survey fish-related diseases and mortalities. Fish kills may also be reported online; visit Report a Fish Kill for additional information and details. (Please note, the FWRI Fish Kill Hotline should NOT be called to request dead fish cleanup; local municipalities are responsible for dead fish cleanup—usually only on public beaches.)
  
  
• FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline: (888) 404-3922 (toll-free)
  
  
• FWRI Manatee Contact: Martine deWit, (727) 893-2904
  
  
• FWRI Sea Turtle Stranding Contact: Allen Foley, (904) 573-3930
  
  
• FWRI Puffer Fish Kill Contact: Jan Landsberg, (727) 896-8626)

• Aquatic Toxins Hotline: (888) 232-8635 (toll-free)
  The Aquatic Toxins Hotline is available for reporting harmful effects associated with a marine or estuarine event. Callers are connected to the Florida Poison Information Center in Miami, which operates 24 hours a day, every day. The center is staffed by health care professionals who will record the caller’s information and assist with health and safety concerns. The Florida Department of Health (DOH) encourages people who have experienced harmful effects associated with exposure to aquatic toxins or harmful algae to call the hotline.
  
  
• Medical Effects Relating to Humans:
  
  • Florida Department of Health, Division of Environmental Health, Aquatic Toxins Program, (850) 245-4299
  • County health departments
  • Dr. Lora Fleming, University of Miami School of Medicine, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/groups/niehs

• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) uses satellite imagery, field observations, and buoy data to assess harmful algal blooms in the Gulf of Mexico. A report of conditions and additional information are available on the NOAA Harmful Algal Bloom Forecasting System Web page. Selected information from NOAA is incorporated into FWRI’s status report.
  
  
• Businesses affected by red tide events can find information, offers for "kits" and brochures, links to other sources, and more at http://www.redtideonline.com. This site is maintained by Solutions To Avoid Red Tide (S.T.A.R.T.), a nonprofit group at Longboat Key.
  
  
• Hardcopy information about Florida red tides is available by request. Please address requests to FWRI, Outreach Coordination Office, 100 Eighth Avenue SE, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701. Documents for printing are available at http://research.myfwc.com and http://www.redtideonline.com. Business people are encouraged to make these documents available to visitors who are unlikely to learn about red tide from other local sources.
  
  
• University of South Florida (USF) Marine Science (Weisberg) maintains a site for information regarding real-time surface meteorology, currents, and sea level from an array of buoys and coastal stations, http://comps.marine.usf.edu.  Experimental red tide forecasts based on wind and current models are now available at http://ocgmod1.marine.usf.edu/WFS/plot_hab.html. Visitors to this site can select an area of interest and view projected movement of red tide blooms from recently sampled locations.

Shellfish Harvesting Closures:
For current open/closed status of shellfish areas for harvesting:

• Contact one of the following field offices of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS):

  Panama City: (850) 236-2200
  Apalachicola: (850) 653-8317
  Cedar Key: (352) 543-5181
  Murdock: (941) 255-7405
  Palm Bay: (321) 984-4890