What is Florida red tide?
Florida red tides occur nearly annually on Florida’s west coast and in other areas of the Gulf of Mexico as well. Karenia brevis, the harmful algal bloom (HAB) species that causes red tide in the Gulf of Mexico, produces neurotoxins that can kill marine mammals, turtles, birds, and fish. Toxin-containing aerosols caused by blooms near beaches cause human respiratory problems. Finally, the toxin can accumulate in shellfish and cause Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning (NSP) if humans consume contaminated shellfish. States in the Gulf of Mexico have extensive shellfish monitoring programs to protect humans from NSP, but blooms are still a threat to human health, endangered species, and coastal economies.
