Red Tide a Lingering Tampa Bay Area Concern

Tampa Bay area residents with beach plans might want to check the status of the water before they dive in.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has issued an advisory about red tide in the Tampa Bay area. Red tide is a naturally occurring concentration of microscopic algae. Two blooms are currently being monitored along the Gulf coast. The first bloom is in the Tampa Bay area while the other is in northwest Florida.

“We confirmed the presence of both blooms in September, and they have persisted since that time,” Alina Corcoran, FWC research scientist, was quoted in the advisory as saying. “The bloom in the Panhandle is currently affecting Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay and Gulf counties. In southwest Florida, patchy blooms have been confirmed along Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and Lee counties. Extensive fish kills and respiratory irritation have been associated with the bloom in the Panhandle but in southwest Florida the effects have been less.”

So far, FWC reports that the organism that causes red tide, Karenia brevis, has been found in background concentrations taken in a sample collected offshore from Pasco County. It was also found in background to very low concentrations in two samples collected alongshore in Pinellas. It’s been found in background to low concentrations in 25 samples collected along Manatee, Charlotte and Lee counties. It has also appeared in background to high concentrations in 24 samples taken from Sarasota County waters.

The agency noted that no recent samples have been taken from Hillsborough County.

Red tide is an algae that occurs naturally in the Gulf that can cause respiratory irritations when it accumulates in large amounts. Toxins in red tide can “enter the air and cause respiratory irritation among beachgoers, such as coughing, sneezing or a scratchy throat,” the Mote Marine Laboratory explains on its website. Mote scientists conduct year-round monitoring of Bay area waters.

Beachgoers with respiratory conditions, such as emphysema and asthma, may be more susceptible to red tide irritants. FWC recommends these public health tips when red tide is present:

• People who experience issues, such as nose, throat and eye irritations may want to leave the immediate area
• Those with severe or chronic respiratory conditions should avoid areas that are known to have active red tide
• When dead fish are present alongshore, it is advised that beachgoers avoid swimming in the water
• Red tide may also pose a risk to pets. Pets should not eat fish or drink water from water with a high concentration of red tide
• Recreational harvesting of such mollusks as hard clams, mussels and oysters is banded when red tide is present. To find out if harvest of shellfish is available in an area, visit the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Aquaculture online.

To find out the conditions on local beaches, visit the Mote Marine Laboratory online.

Map courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission