State wildlife officials detected the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, in 20 water samples along Florida’s East Coast over the past week, marking the first time this season that bloom-level concentrations have appeared in Duval County.
According to a status update from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), bloom concentrations—defined as levels greater than 100,000 cells per liter—were confirmed in two samples taken from Duval County.
Across the East Coast region, researchers found varying concentrations of the organism. Water samples revealed very low to low concentrations in Nassau County, very low to medium concentrations in Duval County, and very low concentrations in St. Johns County.
Along the Gulf Coast, red tide activity remained minimal or absent. In Northwest Florida, K. brevis appeared only at background levels in a single sample collected from Pasco County. In Southwest Florida, researchers did not observe the organism in any samples taken over the past week.
State officials confirmed that no fish kills suspected to be tied to red tide were reported to the FWC Fish Kill Hotline or partnering organizations during this period. Additionally, there were no statewide reports of respiratory irritation related to the organism.
Researchers and state agencies continue to track nearshore and offshore conditions using satellite imagery provided by the University of South Florida (USF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NOAA NCCOS).
A short-term, 3.5-day forecast produced by the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides projects a net southern movement of surface and subsurface waters across most areas from Pinellas County south to northern Monroe County.
Detailed forecasts utilizing FWC and partner data remain available through NOAA’s Gulf Coast Harmful Algal Blooms Forecast system. The FWC plans to publish its next regular status report on Friday, August 21.
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