Last updated on November 14th, 2024 at 07:19 am
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Service is reporting that satellite imagery shows a 100-mile-long patch of algae from Pinellas to Collier counties carrying varied but abundant levels of the red tide organism Karenia brevis.
Fish kills and respiratory irritation believed related to red tide have been reported in Pinellas, Sarasota, and Charlotte counties over the past week.
A health alert has been issued for the beaches of Sarasota County.
The alert from the Florida Department of Health targeted 12 beaches, according to WUSF public radio news.
They include Ringling Causeway/Bird Key Park Beach, North Lido Beach, Lido Casino Beach, Siesta Key Beach, Turtle Beach, Nokomis Beach, North Jetty Beach, Venice Beach, Service Club Beach, Venice Fishing Pier, Brohard Park Beach, and Manasota Key Beach.
The heaviest concentrations were found at Venice Inlet, Venice Beach and Manasota Key Beach.
The risk of respiratory irritation is most likely when winds are blowing onshore or alongshore, and less likely when winds are blowing offshore.
- For a detailed red-tide update from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, go to myfwc.com
- For the latest tropical weather update, visit our Tropical Weather Update story.
- For the latest updates on hurricane recovery for parks, campgrounds and recreation areas, visit our Hurricane Recovery story.
Beach conditions around the state
For reports of current conditions at individual beaches along the Florida coast, go to Interactive map with beach-by-beach detail.
You may also be interested > Blue-green algae updates
Frequently asked questions:
What is Red Tide? Common name for harmful algal blooms occurring along coastal regions in Florida from large concentrations of aquatic micro-organisms, specifically an organism called karenia brevis. Bloom events are stimulated by nutrients from terrestrial runoff containing fertilizer, sewage and livestock wastes.
Should I avoid red tide? Toxins from red tide can cause breathing problems and irritate your eyes, nose and throat. Reactions to red tide are worse for people with asthma, emphysema, bronchitis or any chronic lung disease. If you have health issues, stay away from areas with red tide. Pets can become sick from red tide, so keep them away from those areas, as well as contaminated marine animals and fish.
Can we swim near red tide? Don’t swim in or around red tide because the toxin can cause skin irritation, rashes and burning and sore eyes.
What should I do if I come in contact with Red Tide? Wash off with soap and water. You can get relief from respiratory symptoms by being in an air-conditioned space. For people without asthma or chronic respiratory problems, over-the-counter antihistamines can help. If your symptoms don’t get better, see a doctor.
What about the dead fish on the beach? Red tides kill fish and other marine life — avoid contact and don’t swim or walk in areas with dead fish. Keep your pets away from these areas. Don’t harvest or eat distressed or dead fish (or any animals) from or near a red tide. Fish caught live and healthy can be eaten if filleted and rinsed thoroughly with fresh water.
Are shellfish affected by Red Tide? Crabs, lobsters, shrimp, clams, oysters and scallops are filter feeders that can concentrate toxins. These and other shellfish, if harvested from red tide areas, may be contaminated.
Additional Resources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Florida Department of Health
- Protecting Florida Together
- Florida Poison Control Information Center
Red Tide is MUCH worse than it’s made out to be – it’s played down because Billions of dollars are at stake. Fixing it? No way – Mosaic funds Mote. The Gov. has made it clear (Scott and DeSantis) that environmentalism is a “woke” fantasy,.
People are getting very sick. Talk to Doctors. Some are moving away (to the east coast).
This is not just an irritant – it’s a poison (duh, dead fish and manatees/dolphins). It is likely shortening human lives – those with other respiratory problems.
It’s been studied – but, of course, not by the State. Why would they want to know the truth? You can’t dump billions of gallons of sewage and fertilizer into shallow warm water without problems!
The red tide can bother you at sometimes. But whiat our family does is just go down the beach a couple miles and you really can’t notice it at all.
Sometimes it’ll bother you worse than others. But don’t give up hope our Florida weather is beautiful and so are the beaches so just enjoy it the best you can and except the red tide
Kim Wroblewski
Thank you for publishing information about red tide. This has been going on for several weeks not just this last week. I live near the beach in Sarasota county. I feel so bad for tourists who come down with no idea that this is going on. It is not publicized or reported much. The signs alerting people are very inconspicuous. Many lodging properties and hotels do not tell their guests. We’ve also had closures due to bacteria in the water.
It is bad enough that our state government is not proactive in solving this problem for all of us, but at least tell people what’s going on for safety reasons.
Florida rambler is awesome. Thank you for all your publications!
Susan