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Red Tide Current Status for Northwest Florida
Current red tide conditions around northwest Florida are reported on Friday. Additional information, if available, is provided on Tuesday on the Statewide Information page.
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Present Status: No Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was detected this week in water samples collected at Fort Walton Beach or Navarre Beach Pier in Okaloosa County. Offshore samples collected west of Hernando County also contained no K. brevis.
The Fish and Wildlife Research Institute’s (FWRI) Red Tide Status Line is now available to callers to hear a recording detailing red tide conditions throughout the state. FWRI updates the recording each Friday by 5 p.m. after sampling efforts for the week have been completed and analyzed. To hear the information, call the Red Tide Status Line at: (866) 300-9399 (toll-free inside Florida only); or (727) 552-2448 (outside Florida).
Bloom Boundary (alongshore): No Karenia brevis currently present alongshore.
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DATE COLLECTED |
Karenia brevis CONCENTRATIONS/OBSERVATIONS |
SITE LOCATION* (NORTH TO SOUTH) |
COLLECTOR OR AGENCY |
|
ALONGSHORE (<1 MI) |
OFFSHORE |
|
Escambia – Santa Rosa Counties |
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no recent samples |
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Okaloosa County |
|
07/22 |
not present |
-- |
Navarre Beach Pier |
FDEP |
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07/22 |
not present |
-- |
Fort Walton Beach |
CBA |
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Walton County |
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no recent samples |
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Bay County |
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no recent samples |
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Gulf County |
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no recent samples |
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Franklin County |
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no recent samples |
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Wakulla County |
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no recent samples |
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Jefferson County |
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no recent samples |
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Taylor County |
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no recent samples |
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Dixie – Levy Counties |
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07/18** |
-- |
not present |
Suwannee River, 2 to 14 mi SW of (10) (S,B) |
CGA |
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07/16** |
-- |
not present |
Cedar Key, 5 to 11 mi SW of (2) |
FWRI |
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Citrus – Hernando Counties |
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07/19 |
-- |
not present |
Chassahowitzka River, 35 to 38 mi W of |
Volunteer |
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07/19 |
-- |
not present |
Bayport, 4 to 12 mi W of (10) (S,B) |
CGA |
*Most sites are preselected and sampled routinely. For unlisted areas, extrapolate from the nearest sampled location.
**Samples from last week
Note:
CBA = Choctawhatchee Bay Alliance; CGA = Coast Guard Auxiliar; FDEP = Florida Department of Environmental Protection; FWRI = Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.
(S) = surface water sample; (M) = mid-depth water sample; (B) = bottom water sample.
|
Description |
Karenia brevis (cells/liter) |
Possible Effects (K. brevis only) |
| PRESENT |
background levels of 1,000 cells or less |
None |
| VERY LOWa |
>1,000 to <5,000 |
Possible respiratory irritation |
| VERY LOWb |
5,000 to 10,000 |
Possible respiratory irritation and shellfish harvesting closures |
| LOWa |
>10,000 to <50,000 |
Respiratory irritation, but chlorophyll levels too low to be detected by satellites |
| LOWb |
50,000 to <100,000 |
Respiratory irritation, maybe fish kills, and bloom chlorophyll probably detected by satellites |
| MEDIUM |
100,000 to <1,000,000 |
Respiratory irritation and probable fish kills |
| HIGH |
>1,000,000 |
As above plus discoloration |
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RELATED LINKS
Hotlines and Reporting Sites for Effects on Marine Animals
- FWRI Fish Kill Hotline: (800) 636-0511 (toll-free)
The FWRI Fish Kill Hotline is available for callers to report fish kills, diseased fish, or fish with other abnormalities. The hotline’s recorded message asks callers to leave contact information and a detailed report. A biologist will contact the caller, usually the following workday, if more information is needed. This service is part of a federally funded project to survey fish-related diseases and mortalities. Fish kills may also be reported online; visit Report a Fish Kill for additional information and details. (Please note, the FWRI Fish Kill Hotline should NOT be called to request dead fish cleanup; local municipalities are responsible for dead fish cleanup—usually only on public beaches.)
- FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline: (888) 404-3922 (toll-free)
- FWRI Manatee Contact: Martine deWit, (727) 893-2904
- FWRI Sea Turtle Stranding Contact: Allen Foley, (904) 573-3930
- FWRI Puffer Fish Kill Contact: Jan Landsberg, (727) 896-8626
Hotlines and Reporting Sites for Effects on Humans
- Marine and Freshwater Toxins Hotline: (888) 232-8635 (toll-free)
The Marine and Freshwater Toxins Hotline is available for reporting harmful effects associated with a marine or estuarine event. Callers are connected to the Florida Poison Information Center in Miami, which operates 24 hours a day, every day. The center is staffed by health care professionals who will record the caller’s information and assist with health and safety concerns. The Florida Department of Health (DOH) encourages people who have experienced harmful effects associated with exposure to aquatic toxins or harmful algae to call the hotline.
- Medical Effects Relating to Humans:
Information Sources
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) uses satellite imagery, field observations, and buoy data to assess harmful algal blooms in the Gulf of Mexico. A report of conditions and additional information are available on the NOAA Harmful Algal Bloom Forecasting System Web page. Selected information from NOAA is incorporated into FWRI’s status report.
- Businesses affected by red tide events can find information, offers for "kits" and brochures, links to other sources, and more at http://www.redtideonline.com. This site is maintained by Solutions To Avoid Red Tide (S.T.A.R.T.), a nonprofit group at Longboat Key.
- Hardcopy information about Florida red tides is available by request. Please address requests to FWRI, Outreach Coordination Office, 100 Eighth Avenue SE, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701. Documents for printing are available at http://research.myfwc.com and http://www.redtideonline.com. Business people are encouraged to make these documents available to visitors who are unlikely to learn about red tide from other local sources.
- University of South Florida (USF) Marine Science (Weisberg) maintains a site for information regarding real-time surface meteorology, currents, and sea level from an array of buoys and coastal stations, http://comps.marine.usf.edu. Experimental red tide forecasts based on wind and current models are now available at http://ocgmod1.marine.usf.edu/WFS/plot_hab.html. Visitors to this site can select an area of interest and view projected movement of red tide blooms from recently sampled locations.
Shellfish Information
Shellfish = bivalves (oysters, clams, and mussels but not scallops) Shellfish Harvesting ClosuresFor current open/closed status of shellfish areas for harvesting:
- Contact one of the following field offices of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS):
Panama City: (850) 236-2200
Apalachicola: (850) 653-8317
Cedar Key: (352) 543-5181
Murdock: (941) 255-7405
Palm Bay: (321) 984-4890 OR
Shellfish Harvesting Area Closures
PLEASE CHECK THE FDACS WEB SITE FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION.
Areas along the Florida coast may be closed for reasons other than red tide. Determine open or closed status BEFORE harvesting in Florida waters.
Volunteers
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