The Tropics and Red Tide; what happens if or when they interact?

A storm is churning and on track to make its way into the Gulf of Mexico. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission red tide map shows background to low concentrations of it offshore of Southwest Florida. How will one affect the other?

Capt. Codty Pierce did a full tour around Pine Island on Sunday.

“Somewhere around 50 miles,” stated the Calusa Waterkeeper.

Sun up to sun down, from Matlacha to San Carlos Bay, around Sanibel and up to Bokeelia, then to Boca Grande and back.

“You visually can’t see red tide unless it’s an extremely high concentration,” explained Pierce.

But the captain knew the signs and saw them. There’s animal behavior.

“It started with Sand Brim,” added the captain. “Starting to see just some abnormal behavior; some twitching surface activity.”

Indications something’s off. Then there’s the worst case for marine life.

“I proceeded out into San Carlos Bay, and I was able to find a couple of small finger mullets that were dead inside of the rack line,” said Pierce.

Red Tide Alerts

• Charlotte County
• Collier County

Red tide kills marine life. For us, it can cause respiratory irritation—coughing, sneezing, and burning eyes.

While the water hasn’t been our friend, Pierce said the wind has.

“We have had east winds for almost a month now. This high-pressure system has absolutely been saving our butt,” he said. “It’s keeping a lot of that drift algae offshore. It may be contributing to keeping some of those red tide numbers that we’re seeing from FWC outside of our estuary.”

But with a storm coming, Pierce worried it could agitate the bloom.

It could push in some stuff, or it could change
wind direction, that could add to the complications. Capt. Codty Pierce

NOAA measures chlorophyll in the Gulf, an indicator of algae like red tide. The warmer the color, the more chlorophyll. In the Calusa Waterkeeper’s opinion—he’s keeping his eyes on San Carlos Bay and Fort Myers Beach for red tide.

“If we look at the NOAA satellite maps as of now, you know a good portion of that activity has started to make its way around the southern portion of Sanibel,” said the Waterkeeper. “So if we lose this east wind, I think it has a much higher likelihood of coming in contact with the beach there or perhaps inside of Estero Bay.”

Beachgoers with pre-existing conditions should monitor the FWC website and consult their healthcare provider before heading to the beach.

Red Tide Resources

• Red Tide Current Status
• Red Tide Prediction and Tracking
• Southwest Florida Satellite Imagery
• Algal Blooms from Satellite for Southwest Florida
• MOTE Beach Conditions Reporting Forecast