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Bloom of red tide remains persistent on Florida Gulf

The red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was observed in Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota counties.

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Red tide continues to persist along the Florida Gulf coast, although it's shown minor improvements.

In the Tampa Bay area, one county says cleanup efforts have slowed down significantly. As of Tuesday, Pinellas County have removed 1,823 tons of dead sea life. That's more than 3.6 million pounds.

Daily samples from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission show red tide still impacting parts of the bay area, but not to the degree of last month.

Over the past week, Karenia brevis was detected in 67 samples. Bloom concentrations were observed in 35 samples: six from Pinellas County, five from Manatee County, and 24 from Sarasota County. Additional details are provided below.

Pinellas County is seeing mainly low to medium levels of red tide off its coast with a couple high level spots, while Manatee and Sarasota counties are seeing medium to high levels of the algae bloom.

To report a fish kill to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), call the hotline at 800-636-0511. For more resources, click here.

Red tide is one of the water's deadliest enemies, and it occurs nearly every summer along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Some years, however, it's worse than others.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, "red tide" is a harmful algal bloom or HAB, that is created when plants in the sea grow out of control and cause harmful toxins. Those toxins can have negative impacts on people, marine mammals, birds, fish and shellfish. 

In Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, the species responsible for most red tides is called Karenia brevis, and is often abbreviated as K. brevis.

NOAA scientists say that although it's rare, red tide can cause human illness and even be deadly. Experts at Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission say the toxic chemicals that come from red tide affect both marine organisms and humans.

Karenia brevis produces brevetoxins that can affect the central nervous system of fish and other vertebrates, which causes these animals to die.

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