ORLANDO, Fla. _ Red tide algae are blooming around the southwestern coast of Florida in stronger volumes, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Thursday update.
The microscopic phytoplankton known as Karenia brevis, which causes red tide, tested positive in very low to high concentrations in Lee County, and background to high concentrations in Collier County.
In particular, Fort Myers Beach, Naples Beach, Bonita Springs and Sanibel Island showed medium to high concentrations of the naturally occurring organism.
Red tide was observed in background concentrations in Sarasota County.
The harmful algae were not found in either the north or east coasts of Florida.
While red tide blooms are naturally found in the Gulf of Mexico, explosions in growth and overpopulation of algae cells can lead to hazardous conditions for both humans and marine life.
Red tide can lead to respiratory irritation for humans, water discoloration and marine life deaths because of the lack of oxygen in the water. The FWC has recorded more than 30 fish kills since the start of September with red tide as the suspected cause.
Florida endured a larger-than-normal red tide bloom in 2018 afflicting its coasts on a massive scale of distance for an unusually long time; it lead to thousands of deaths among marine life.
The state spent millions in 2018 on beach cleanups as well as money into research on how to battle red tide.
The state posts its red tide monitor results at myfwc.com/research/redtide/statewide/ with a detailed map of Karenia brevis measurements as well as access to tracking models to predict future movement.
