Red tide persists at higher levels around Anna Maria Island, off Manatee coast

For the third straight week, the harmful algal bloom known as red tide is lingering at elevated levels in waters around Anna Maria Island and Manatee County.

Water samples collected around Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island on Monday and Tuesday showed “medium” levels of Karenia brevis, the algae that causes red tide, the state reported. At medium levels, red tide is considered to be at bloom strength, and the algae is more likely to cause death of marine life and respiratory irritation in people.

And one Gulf of Mexico-side water sample off of the 10th Street Pier near Cortez Beach revealed “high” levels of K. brevis, or more than 1 million cells of the organism per liter.

Slight breathing irritation was reported this week on Manatee Public Beach and Coquina Beach, according to Mote Marine Laboratory’s live beach conditions tracker. Unlike last week, dead fish were not reported on the public beaches. FWC did receive a report of dead fish in a Holmes Beach canal, however.

Red tide was also observed at “low” levels in recent days in Palma Sola Bay and in lower Tampa Bay, south of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

To the north of Manatee, red tide maintains a strong grip on Pinellas County’s coastline, where high levels of the algae were observed in numerous samples on the Gulf coastline.

To the south in Sarasota County, red tide levels range from very low to high along the coastline, with the worst concentrations observed near the bottom of the county around Venice and Sanibel.

Red tide weekend forecast

Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key and other parts of coastal Manatee County could continue to see impacts from red tide into this weekend, according to a forecast produced by the University of South Florida and the Florida Wildlife Research Institute.

Medium algae levels are forecast to potentially impact the south end of Anna Maria Island and parts of Longboat Key over the next three days, and high levels could affect Gulf and Intracoastal waters around the middle of AMI. Farther north, low levels are predicted around the northern tip of Anna Maria and near Palma Sola and Robinson Preserve.

And more red tide appears to be lingering offshore.

Satellite imagery produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows large swaths of algae, including red tide, located several miles off of Southwest Florida’s coast. The blooms are especially intense offshore of Charlotte, Sarasota and Pinellas counties.

This story was originally published October 7, 2021 at 11:12 AM.