Is the red tide gone? Blooms clear out of waters at Anna Maria Island, SW Florida coast
The harmful algal bloom known as red tide has once again cleared out of coastal waters around Manatee County and Anna Maria Island.
Other areas of Southwest Florida are also seeing major declines in the presence and intensity of the toxic algae, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The region has experienced ongoing, varying levels of red tide since late 2020, with some areas hit harder than others.
Karenia brevis, the organism that causes red tide, was not present in any of the water samples collected around coastal Manatee County on Monday. Sampling locations included waters around the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and lower Tampa Bay, Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve, Palma Sola Bay, Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key.
Through last week, red tide algae had been observed at “medium” strength, or bloom level, around AMI and Longboat Key. At levels of medium and above, the algae is more like to cause negative impacts. Those impacts include death of fish and other marine life and respiratory irritation in humans that can make visits to the beach unpleasant.
This week, no dead fish or breathing irritation have been observed at popular Gulf of Mexico-side beaches on AMI and Longboat Key, according to Mote Marine Laboratory’s live beach conditions tracker, which is updated by lifeguards.
To the north of Manatee, red tide was also not observed this week in any samples around Pinellas County. To the south, the the algae was detected at background to low concentrations in three samples offshore of Sarasota County, according to FWC, but it was not present in samples near the coastline.
Red tide forecast
Tampa Bay and Manatee County area waters are predicted to stay red tide-free heading into this weekend, according to a forecast produced by University of South Florida and the Florida Wildlife Research Institute.
And the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration rates the chance of respiratory irritation as “very low” for beaches in Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota counties.
Satellite imagery compiled by NOAA shows smaller and less dense masses of algae drifting in the Gulf of Mexico compared to recent weeks.