State biologists have confirmed the presence of Karenia brevis, the organism that causes red tide, in two water samples collected from Northwest Florida over the past week.
According to the latest data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the organism was found at “background concentrations” within Bay County, a level significantly lower than the 100,000 cells per liter required to define a bloom.
The update comes during a maintenance period for the state’s tracking systems. “We are sharing a simplified report this week as we reconstruct and update the server that hosts the FWC HAB Database and the FWC Red Tide Map,” the agency stated.
While the primary database is undergoing upgrades, officials are relying on satellite imagery from the University of South Florida (USF) and NOAA to monitor Gulf conditions.
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Current satellite data from February 26 shows an offshore patch of elevated chlorophyll in the Northwest Coast region. However, the FWC noted that this specific patch is “not suspected to be K. brevis.”
For the time being, the presence of the organism has not translated into physical symptoms for residents or local wildlife. “Respiratory irritation suspected to be related to red tide was not reported over the past week in Florida,” the report confirmed. Furthermore, no fish kills were reported to the FWC Fish Kill Hotline or its partners during this period.
Water movement forecasts for the next three and a half days suggest that surface waters from Walton County down to Northern Monroe County will generally move toward the northwest. The exception is Franklin County, where surface transport is expected to head northeast. Subsurface currents are also predicted to move northwest near Walton and Gulf Counties, with minimal movement expected elsewhere.
The FWC plans to resume its standard reporting schedule once the server updates are finished. As the report concluded, “The next status report will be issued on Friday, March 6.”
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