State wildlife officials detected the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, in 20 samples along the Gulf Coast over the past week, with the most significant activity concentrated in the Panhandle. According to the latest data, four samples in Northwest Florida registered bloom concentrations exceeding 100,000 cells per liter.
Bay County appears to be the focal point of the current activity, showing levels ranging from background to high. Neighboring Gulf County recorded background to very low concentrations, while Franklin County saw only background levels.
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Satellite imagery captured on January 7 by the University of South Florida (USF) and NOAA revealed patches of slightly elevated chlorophyll—often a signal of algal presence—in the inland waters of Gulf and Franklin counties. Officials noted that cloud cover obstructed the assessment of Bay County during the observation window.
In contrast, the situation in Southwest Florida remains largely quiet. K. brevis was found only at background levels in one Sarasota County sample and at background to very low concentrations in two Charlotte County samples. No red tide was observed along Florida’s East Coast.
Despite the high concentrations in the northwest, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) received no reports of fish kills or respiratory irritation suspected to be related to red tide this week.
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Forecasters with the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides currently predict variable movement of surface and subsurface waters from Bay to Franklin counties over the next three and a half days. Further south, from Pinellas to northern Monroe counties, subsurface currents are expected to move predominantly to the southeast.
The next status report will be issued on Friday, January 16.
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