Red tide from the Gulf of Mexico has moved farther into Tampa Bay.
A report issued Wednesday by state environmental officials shows low concentrations of the marine toxin at four locations in St. Petersburg and around the Sunshine Skyway bridge, which crosses Tampa Bay and connects with Manatee County.
Those locations are The Pier and Bayboro Harbor on the downtown waterfront; Lassing Park, just south of downtown; and Maximo Park, at the Skyway's northern end.
Low concentrations are also being reported at the South Skyway Fishing Pier, Anna Maria Island, Sarasota Bay at New Pass Dock and Ringling Causeway.
Fish kills and respiratory irritation believed to come from red tide were reported over the past week along the Sarasota County beaches.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is reporting that over the past week the red tide organism Karenia brevis was detected in 65 samples collected from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts. Bloom concentrations (greater than 100,000 cells per liter) were observed in eight samples: one from Hillsborough County, six from Sarasota County, and one offshore of Lee County.
Satellite imagery this week reveals a 75-mile long patch of elevated chlorophyll along Florida’s Southwest coast, from 5 to 10 miles offshore of Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties, and extending about 35 miles across at its widest point.
The imagery suggests that chlorophyll patches have been pushed southward because of northerly wind and ocean circulation.
The Florida Department of Health in Collier County advised caution due to red tide near Vanderbilt Beach, in North Naples. Meanwhile, a similar caution has been lifted at Bowman's Beach in Lee County.
Information from WGCU was used in this report.
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