State wildlife officials detected trace amounts of the red tide organism off parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast over the past week, though the bloom remains at minimal levels with no reports of fish kills or respiratory irritation.
The organism, Karenia brevis, showed up at background to very low concentrations in 11 water samples collected along and offshore of the coast. Researchers are monitoring the situation using satellite tracking provided by the University of South Florida and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science.
“We continue to use satellite imagery (USF and NOAA NCCOS) to help track nearshore and offshore conditions,” the agency noted in its latest update…