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Showing posts from October 8, 2012

Update on Red Tide Algae Bloom

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The current red tide bloom has it's first wave of dead fish lining the shoreline of Manasota Key. The effects of the algae bloom spotted near Charlotte Harbor on September 30 are washing ashore Sarasota County beaches.  The Mote Beach Conditions Report System  has received accounts of dead fish and respiratory irritation from all the beaches it monitors in south Sarasota County. Dead fish are lining the shores on the Englewood beaches of Manasota Key, all killed by a neurotoxin released by the red tide that paralyzes the fish. It kills the small ones first then the larger ones .  Sadly, larger mammals like dolphins, manatees, & even sea birds are affected as well.  Karenia brevis  or "red tide" as it is known by Florida coastal dwellers is actually not red but a muddy yellowish-green color.  The presence of red tide has little to do with the water color and more to do with dead sea life washing up on the shoreline.   Mote Marine in partnership with the  Flori