FWC said not to eat the tomalley (green stuff, hepatopancreas).ĭuring scallop season, locally harvested scallops from open scallop harvesting areas are also safe to eat as long as you eat only the muscle of the scallop and not the whole animal.įWC said it's safe to eat local finfish as long as the fish are filleted. To determine whether or not harvesting of shellfish is permitted in an area, visit the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Aquaculture website.Įdible parts of other animals like crabs, shrimp and lobsters are not affected by the red tide organism and can be eaten, according to FWC. If they are, FWC said they're tested for red tide toxins before they're sold.ĭuring red tide closures, FWC said it's illegal to recreationally harvest bivalve mollusks such as hard clams, oysters and mussels. Commercially available shellfish aren't often locally harvested. Red tide in Tampa Bay raises questions over food safetyĮating local fish and shellfish during a bloomįWC said it's okay to eat store-bought and restaurant-served shellfish during a bloom because the government monitors them for safety.Scientists in Sarasota are concerned red tide may have long term effects on the human brain.Researchers focus on dead fish from red tide and whether they can be turned into fertilizer.Red tide impacting Tampa Bay area beaches ahead of spring break.Officials advise that you don't swim in or around red tide because the toxin can also cause skin irritation, rashes, burning and sore eyes. Symptoms of the irritation include coughing, sneezing, and an itchy throat.įWC said the toxins can cause serious illness for people with conditions like asthma or emphysema. Waves cause the cells to break open and release toxins into the air, which causes respiratory irritation. K. brevis produces brevetoxins that can affect the central nervous system of fish and other vertebrates, which causes the animals to die, according to FWC. Red tides can last anywhere from a few weeks to more than a year, according to FWC. However, water can also retain its normal color during a bloom.įWC said red tides are nothing new and have been documented as far back as the 1700s in the southern Gulf of Mexico. The name red tide comes from the red or brown hue that the bloom can cause in high concentrations. In Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, Karenia brevis, often abbreviated as K. brevis, is the alga that causes red tide, according to FWC. Red Tide Status Line: (866) 300-9399 (toll-free inside Florida only) (727) 502-4956 (outside Florida).įor information about the Human Health and Red Tide Studies funded by the National Institutes for Environmental Health Services, click here.įor more information about water conditions on Sarasota County beaches, please click on this link to the Sarasota County Healthy Beaches website.Red tide is a harmful algal bloom that is higher than normal concentrations of a microscopic alga. after sampling efforts for the week have been completed and analyzed. FWC updates the recording each Friday by 5 p.m. More Information about Red Tideįor conditions throughout the Florida Gulf coast, with information about cell concentrations observed at specific locations and closed shellfish areas, please see the FWC web site and follow the link to “ Red Tide Current Status.” The FWC Red Tide Status Line is now available for callers to hear a recording detailing Red Tide conditions throughout the state. Click here for more information.įor recreational fishing: Fish that act as they would normally when hooked should be safe to eat as long as they are fileted first and the innards discarded. Note: It is not advisable to harvest shellfish recreationally, unless you first check on the status of the location (open or closed) with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Florida has a well-established monitoring program for all commercial shellfish beds and these beds are closed when affected by Red Tide or other environmental conditions. Please note that it is safe to eat shellfish that are commercially harvested and sold in fish markets, restaurants and other outlets. Mote Marine Laboratory studies Karenia brevis, the organism that causes Red Tides in Florida.Ĭlick here for an overview about Mote's Red Tide research.Ĭlick here for answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Red Tide.Ĭlick here for a primer on the differences between Red Tide and red drift algae. The Beach Conditions Report provides several types of information about Southwest Florida beaches during Red Tide events: whether dead fish are present, whether there is respiratory irritation among beachgoers, what the water color is, the wind direction and what flags are currently flying at the beaches (for lifeguard-monitored beaches). Beach Conditions Report & Red Tide Informationīeach Conditions Report & Red Tide Information Beach Conditions Report.
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