Thread: Red Tide

Has anyone heard anything about the red tide that is suppose to hit the FL. coast? The red tide hit the Port Aransas, TX. area and it ruin the inshore fishing for a long time.

Heard about it, yes.
Immediate concern, NO (thank God!)

Red Tide - Statewide Status

Red Tide Summary (August 15, 2014)A large offshore bloom of Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, has been detected this month in the northeast Gulf of Mexico. Last week, satellite images from the Optical Oceanography Laboratory at the University of South Florida showed a patchy bloom up to 60 miles wide and 90 miles long, at least 20 miles offshore between Dixie and northern Pinellas counties in northwest and southwest Florida. Recent satellite images have been unreliable due to cloud cover. FWC’s Fish Kill Hotline has received numerous reports of a widespread fish kill.
This week, K. brevis was detected in very low concentrations in several samples collected offshore of Pinellas county. Four samples collected inshore of Manatee and Sarasota counties and one sample collected offshore of Wakulla County contained background concentrations of K. brevis. No bloom concentrations of red tide have been detected alongshore or inshore of any of the areas sampled. Forecasts by the Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides show slow southeast movement of water where the bloom was last detected.
Additional samples collected throughout Florida this week did not contain K. brevis.

That being said, unless we get some breezes soon, conditions do seem 'ripe' for a bloom in the Panhandle region this fall...

We definitely do not want a dead zone in our shores.

Thank you for the info, it does sound good.

Sorry, it DOESN'T sound good!!!

Omninous I'd say.
Still, events like the most recent heavy rains in the area of the previously reported outbreak (and subsequent fish kill) may well stave off a wider spread outbreak or at least defer it til later in the year when strong weather systems could break it up.

We'll just have to continue to monitor it...