A bloom of the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, exists in Southwest Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
For the week beginning Nov. 14, K. brevis was observed in 94 samples in the region, including with bloom concentrations greater than 100,000 cells/liter in two samples from Manatee County, 26 from Sarasota County, 11 from Charlotte County, and one from Lee County.
K. brevis was observed at background to medium concentrations in Manatee County, background to low concentrations offshore of Hillsborough County, background to high concentrations in Sarasota County, very low to high concentrations in and offshore of Charlotte County, very low to high concentrations in Lee County, and low concentrations offshore of Collier County.
Reports of fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were received over the past week in Sarasota, Charlotte and Lee counties.
Respiratory irritation suspected to be related to red tide was reported in Sarasota, Charlotte and Lee counties.
For more information, go online to myfwc.com.