ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Red tide is still lingering in parts of Tampa Bay area beaches after subsiding just weeks prior.
According to a mid-week report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), a patchy bloom of the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was found in samples collected in Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota County.
The bloom was found in seven samples at background to high concentrations in Pinellas County. Background to medium concentrations were found in three samples in Sarasota County and two samples in Manatee County.
Conditions have improved compared to a few months ago when 3.6 million pounds of dead sea life were removed from the Pinellas County area.
You can check out the FWC's latest fishkill reports 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.
The blooms can last as little as a few weeks or longer than a year and can even subside and then reoccur, according to FWC.