Red tide alert issued for Sarasota, Pinellas area beaches

SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — A red tide alert has been issued for multiple Tampa Bay area counties, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced Wednesday.

Over the past week, the red tide organism Karenia brevis was detected in 55 samples collected in southwest Florida.

The organism was found in low concentrations in Pinellas County, low concentrations in Hillsborough County, background to medium concentrations in Manatee and Sarasota counties, very low concentrations in Charlotte and Lee counties, and very low concentrations offshore of Collier County, according to The Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.

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Bloom concentrations were found in Manatee and Sarasota counties, and satellite imagery from NOAA and USF showed an offshore patch of chlorophyll spanning from Pinellas to Collier counties. A few isolated patches were also observed as far north as Pasco County and the Big Bend region.

Fish deaths suspected to be related to red tide were reported over the past week in Sarasota County.

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