Will red tide impact Manatee County beaches and waters this weekend? Here’s the latest
Red tide’s effects on Manatee County beach and water activities continues to lessen this week.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released its weekly red tide report on Friday. Of the 46 positive samples taken in Southwest Florida waters, four came within Manatee County’s borders.
But the four positive samples were at very low or background levels.
They were located inshore at the following places:
School Key, northeast of Lower Tampa Bay at very low levels
Mead Point in Lower Tampa Bay at very low levels
Longboat Pass boat ramp in Sarasota Bay at very low levels
Emerson Point west of Lower Tampa Bay at background levels
Karenia brevis, the organism that causes red tide, was seen at low and background levels from 20 positive samples in Sarasota County, FWC said. The algae bloom was spotted at similar levels in Pinellas, Charlotte and Lee counties.
Sarasota and Lee counties were the lone Southwest Florida areas to have reports of respiratory irritation in people, and fish kills were only reported in Sarasota County, according to the FWC report.
The red tide forecast, which is a collaborative effort from the USF Ocean Circulation Lab and FWC, predicts red tide at low and very low levels for Manatee and North Sarasota through Monday.
FWC monitors red tide through satellite imagery and the latest daily sampling report can be found at https://myfwc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html or Mote Marine Laboratory’s Beach Conditions Reporting System at https://visitbeaches.org/map.
