Florida wildlife officials detected minuscule traces of red tide in the Panhandle this week, breaking a recent streak of clean water samples across the state.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported that Karenia brevis, the organism that causes red tide, appeared at “background concentrations” in just two samples from Northwest Florida. The specific samples came from Escambia and Bay counties.
According to state data, the rest of Florida remains entirely clear of the algae. No traces of K. brevis were found in Southwest Florida or along the East Coast over the past week.
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Because the algae levels are so low, the state confirmed that no fish kills have been reported to the FWC’s Fish Kill Hotline. Residents and beachgoers have also not reported any respiratory irritation, which is a common side effect when red tide blooms become severe near the shore.
State agencies are currently using satellite imagery from the University of South Florida and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to keep tabs on both nearshore and offshore conditions.
Looking ahead, short-term 3.5-day forecasts from the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides predict a net southern movement of surface and subsurface waters from Pinellas down to northern Monroe counties.
The FWC plans to release its next official status report on Friday, May 22.
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