A week after the first confirmed reports of red tide came in off the Pinellas County coast, data shows concentrations elsewhere in the greater Tampa Bay region.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report issued Friday afternoon, Karenia brevis, the organism that causes red tide, was detected in 49 samples along the coast of Southwest Florida.
However, bloom-level concentrations were present in just nine samples: five offshore of Pinellas County, two offshore of Manatee County, and two offshore of Sarasota County.
Lower concentrations were seen in and offshore Hillsborough County and low in Lee County.
FWC officials say that patches of red tide are shifting daily because of winds and ocean currents.
In Pinellas County, high levels of the bacteria were found off the coast near the Clearwater Pier, medium presence off the 4th Avenue Beach in Pass-A-Grille and Sunset Beach, low off Shelly Key North and Madeira Beach, and at background levels off Johns Pass Park.
In Hillsborough County, very low levels were found off Fort DeSoto Park, at low levels off Egmont Key, and at background levels in lower Tampa Bay.
In Manatee County, medium levels were found offshore Longboat Key, at low levels near Anna Maria Island, very low offshore at Holmes Beach, and at background levels in Sarasota Bay and lower Tampa Bay.
In Sarasota County, medium levels were found near Venice Inlet and low levels near Siesta Key, Turtle Beach, and near New Pass Dock at Sarasota Bay.
And in Lee County, very low levels were found near Alison Hagerup Beach Park.
While no respiratory irritation suspected to be related to red tide was reported over the last week, fish kills were reported offshore of Pinellas County.
The harmful algae blooms develop when aquatic microorganisms grow out of control and produce toxins that can kill fish, make shellfish unsafe to eat and leave the air difficult to breathe.
