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Red Tide reaches Tampa Bay

By CRAIG PITTMAN
Published August 29, 2006

A Red Tide bloom that has plagued Lee, Charlotte and Sarasota counties for weeks has finally reached Tampa Bay.

State biologists said Tuesday they have detected low levels of Red Tide off the Gulf Pier at Fort DeSoto. But the bloom is so weak right now that it is having little impact and Tropical Storm Ernesto could break it up.

“The level was not high enough to be causing fish kills or to cause any discoloration in the water,’’ said Jay Abbott, a researcher with the state Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg said. “If someone who’s asthmatic goes to the beach, they might notice it.”

Tests along the Pinellas beaches north of Fort DeSoto turned up no Red Tide, and a check at the Skyway’s northern fishing pier found only background levels, Abott said.

Medium to high concentrations of Red Tide have been found alongshore from Anna Maria Island  in Manatee County to Captiva Pass in Lee County, state researchers said in their latest update on the algae.

State officials warned that fish kills and respiratory irritation are possible for anyone on the water between southern Pinellas County and northern Collier County. So far, though, Fort DeSoto visitors have not reported any problems, county park employees said.

Red Tide is the common name for a bloom of microscopic algae, officially called Karenia brevis, that releases a toxin that can kill fish and cause coughing, sneezing and watery eyes in humans.

Last year’s Red Tide outbreak was believed to the worst since 1971, lasting from late January to November and stretching from Tarpon Springs to the Keys. Scientists blamed it for smothering vast stretches of the gulf bottom and killing manatees, sea turtles and bottlenose dolphins.

[Last modified September 3, 2006, 12:03:26]