[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] Red Tide Update (Florida)

The algae's toxins already are taking a toll on marine life. Jason Lenes, research associate with the University of South Florida's Center for Prediction of Red Tides, said dead fish are littering beaches from Sarasota south.

"Right now, we have a bloom that's pretty substantial in size," he said, "with the concentration as far north as Pinellas, but mostly it's off the coast from Sarasota to Charlotte Harbor."

He compared this year's [2012] version to the 2006 bloom. The red tide in 2005 was record setting, lasting from January that year to February the following year [2006].

Red tide can make it into Tampa Bay, but that usually does not happen because of tidal flow and currents at the mouth of the Bay, he said.

Scientists are unsure about the causes of red tide, scientifically known as _Karenia brevis_. They know that blooms begin 30 to 40 miles
[48-64 km] offshore as a natural occurrence. Typically, they stay there, unless winds and currents drive them toward shore.

Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Research Institute also are keeping an eye on the bloom that was detected this past week. The concentrations ranged from trace to medium, with the highest concentrations found at Cabbage Key in the Pine Island Sound area of Lee County.( and now Collier County)

A 10-year study completed last year [2011] found that red tide algae contains at least 12 different toxins that can be harmful to people.
It also discovered an antitoxin in red tide that currently is being used to develop a drug to fight cystic fibrosis.

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[Red tide or harmful algal blooms (HABs) are events in which single-celled protists, dinoflagellates, proliferate rapidly and accumulate in the water column. These events are associated with wildlife mortalities, because under certain circumstances these organisms can produce potent toxins. Normally these toxins enter the food web when they are consumed by filter feeding animals, such as clams, oysters, mussels, in which the toxins bioaccumulate. _Karenia brevis_ is a marine dinoflagellate common in Gulf of Mexico waters, and is the organism responsible for Florida red tides. The toxin it produces is called brevetoxin, which can cause neurotoxic shellfish poisoning.

People should avoid consuming marine animals that accumulate the toxins, such as hard-shell clams, soft-shell clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops.

For an image of the dinoflagellate go to <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Karenia_brevis.jpg>.

The state of Florida can be located on the HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map at <http://healthmap.org/r/1AYs>. A Florida county map can be seen at <http://www.digital-topo-maps.com/county-map/florida.shtml>. - Mod.PMB]

[see also:
Red tide, shellfish - USA (02): (WA) clarification 20120926.1309673 Red tide, shellfish - USA: (WA) 20120916.1295932 Red tide, fish - USA (02): (TX) 20120817.1249584 Red tide, redhead ducks - USA (02): (TX) comment 20120228.1055491 Red tide, redhead ducks - USA: (TX) 20120226.1053079 Red tide, double crested cormorants - USA: (TX) 20120211.1039575 Red tide, fish - USA: (FL) bird, turtle 20120116.1011990
2011
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Red tide, fish - USA (04): (FL) 20111231.3720 Red tide, shellfish - USA (02): (TX) oyster 20111216.3608 Red tide, fish - USA (03): (FL) 20111202.3513 Red tide, fish - USA (02): (TX) 20111104.3283 Red tide, fish - USA: (TX) 20111026.3180 Red tide, shellfish - USA: (MA) alert 20110506.1400 2010
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Paralytic shellfish poisoning - USA: (ME) warning 20100714.2353] .................................................sb/pmb/mj/jw/ll
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