Florida’s red tide organism, Karenia brevis, has been detected at minimal “background concentrations” in only two samples across Southwest Florida over the past week, indicating a continued period of low activity for the harmful algal bloom. No signs of red tide were observed in Northwest Florida or along the Florida East Coast.
According to a recent report, K. brevis was found in one sample each from Manatee and Charlotte counties. These isolated detections are at levels generally not associated with significant environmental or public health impacts.
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Further positive news includes the absence of any reported fish kills suspected to be linked to red tide, as well as no instances of respiratory irritation, a common symptom of red tide exposure, across the state. This suggests that current conditions are not significantly impacting marine life or human health.
State agencies continue to utilize advanced monitoring techniques to track the situation. Chlorophyll satellite imagery from the University of South Florida (USF) and NOAA NCCOS is being actively used to observe both nearshore and offshore conditions, providing valuable data for early detection and forecasting.
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Looking ahead, forecasts from the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides for areas from Pinellas County to northern Monroe County predict a general northern movement of surface waters and minimal transport of subsurface waters over the next 3.5 days.
This suggests that any existing low-level concentrations are unlikely to be significantly transported to new areas or intensify in current locations.
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