The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reported the detection of the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, at background concentrations in one offshore sample from Okaloosa County in Northwest Florida over the past week. Officials emphasize that no fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were reported statewide during this period, and no respiratory irritation was reported.
According to the FWC’s latest update, monitoring efforts using chlorophyll satellite imagery from the University of South Florida (USF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) are ongoing to track nearshore and offshore conditions.
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While the single sample in Northwest Florida showed background concentrations of K. brevis, extensive sampling in other regions yielded no sign of the organism. In Southwest Florida and along the Florida East Coast, K. brevis was not observed in any samples collected over the past week.
The absence of reported fish kills or respiratory irritation is a positive sign, indicating that the current low-level detection poses no immediate threat to marine life or public health.
Forecasting models from the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides for Pinellas County to northern Monroe County predict a net northeastern movement of surface waters and minimal transport of subsurface waters in most areas over the next 3.5 days. This information, along with data from FWC and its partners, is utilized by NOAA’s Gulf Coast Harmful Algal Blooms Forecast to provide broader predictions.
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Officials will continue to monitor conditions throughout the state closely.
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