Florida wildlife officials report that red tide remains at baseline, background levels, appearing in only two offshore samples in Southwest Florida over the past week. No fish kills or respiratory issues have been linked to the algae, and the rest of the state’s coastlines currently show no presence of the organism.
Low Concentrations
Scientists tracking the toxic algae organism, Karenia brevis, identified it at mere “background concentrations” in just two water samples collected offshore in Southwest Florida. One of those samples came from waters off Pinellas County, and the other was located off Hillsborough County.
Everywhere else in the state, the organism failed to show up at all. Testing stations across Northwest Florida and the entire Florida East Coast recorded no presence of the algae over the past seven days.
Because the current concentrations are so low, local beaches and marine life are experiencing no visible impacts. The state’s Fish Kill Hotline received zero reports of dead fish suspected to be caused by red tide this week. Likewise, there were no reports of beachgoers experiencing the scratchy throats or respiratory irritation often triggered by more severe blooms.
Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.
