Low levels of red tide found near the Charlotte County coast

Water sample results show that red tide has been found near the shores of Charlotte County, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Samples taken in an area near Manasota Key and Placida show ‘low (>10,000-100,000) red tide populations.

Watch Fox 4’s Alex Orenczuk report on red tide found in Charlotte County:

Low levels of red tide found near the Charlotte County coast

While samples taken in late October showed a concentrated red tide bloom off the province’s coast, several fish kills were observed and respiratory irritation was reported.

Fox 4.

“It was a scary few days, I mean we had a few days of pretty good fish kills,” said Capt. Ed Glorioso ofBad hooks fishing.

Despite the mild presence of red tide confirmed near Placida, Glorioso said he hasn’t noticed much impact on the aquatic or fish population.

“We had that one little scare and it lasted two or three days and then it kind of went away,” Glorioso said. “Luckily we’ve had these big easterly winds that have helped push everything out and keep it out, so this year so far has been better than expected.”

Fox 4.

Brandon Moody, the county’s water quality manager, noted that he was hopeful that the nutrients that fuel the red tide bloom were not as abundant in the water after Hurricane Milton as they were after previous storms, such as Hurricane Ian.

“Our hope is that the amount of nutrients that fueled the red tide bloom after Ian is not, and hopefully no longer, present after Milton,” Moody said.

Although the impacts are minimal at this time, Glorioso, a member of Captains for Clean Water, told Fox 4 that he is advocating for better water management around future hurricanes.

“We’ve had such an influx of people, but the way we handle our water has largely stayed the same,” Glorioso said. “So we really need to look at how we manage our water during these storms, before and after these storms, to really protect ourselves from another problem.”