Red tide reaches the Panhandle

The plague of red tide has come to North Florida.

Red tide, which has devastated marine life along the southwest Gulf Coast, was discovered in Florida’s Panhandle last week.

The heaviest concentrations have been reported in Bay County while low concentrations, determined by the number of algae cells found in a liter of water, have been found in Walton, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties.

Most of the red tide being reported near shore is found in St. Andrews Pass while medium levels of the red tide bloom are being reported in St. Andrews Bay, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 

Closer to home, trace amounts of red tide have been discovered in Franklin, Gulf and Pasco county waters.

While it is uncertain where red tide will head next, the FWC is predicting an eastward shift of the Northwest Florida red tide.

“The duration of a bloom in nearshore Florida waters depends on physical and biological conditions that influence its growth and persistence, including sunlight, nutrients and salinity, as well as the speed and direction of wind and water currents,” said FWC spokeswoman Bekah Nelson in an email. “Red tides can last as little as a few weeks or longer than a year. They can even subside and then reoccur.” 

Medium concentrations of the algae bloom are likely to cause fish kills and minor respiratory issues for humans.

Dead fish are feeding a new strain of algae in SWFL

The red tide that has gripped the southwest Gulf Coast since November has spread along 130 miles of coastline from northern Pinellas County south to Lee County.

Headed to the coast? Check to see the conditions of your beach at visitbeaches.org, a website run by Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium.