Red Tide Bloom May Have Run its Course
The red tide bloom off Sanibel and Captiva may be in decline based on lower counts as well as a shift in satellite imagery that shows it moving to the north and south of the islands.
The SCCF Marine Lab found the highest concentration of Karenia brevis over the past week to be 1.9 million cells per liter at Blind Pass Beach, with 1.5 million cells/liter at Tarpon Bay Road Beach.
Those counts of K. brevis — the organism that blooms into red tide — are down from high counts of 22 million cells/liter two weeks ago at two beaches on Sanibel.
Waters off Captiva on Feb. 11 looked clear with no visible fish kills on the beach.
“Our sampling in Pine Island Sound yesterday found the highest counts in Tarpon Bay with two readings over 250,000 cells per liter. The Redfish Pass area was also of concern, but overall, it seems to be subsiding on the Pine Island Sound side of the islands,” said SCCF Research Associate Mark Thompson.
Further south, they found low concentrations off Sanibel and background to no Karenia in San Carlos Bay, near the causeway.
