Red Tide Lurking in Southwest Florida

The red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was detected in 69 samples collected from and offshore of Southwest Florida over the past week.

Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were present in 14 samples: three in Manatee County, one in Monroe County and 10 in Lee County.

A closer look in Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background to low concentrations in Charlotte County, background to medium concentrations in and offshore of Lee County, and background concentrations in Collier County.