State officials working to confirm red tide, cause of fish kills off St. George Island

Florida wildlife officials say they are working to confirm whether reports of fish kills along St. George Island were caused by red tide.

Officials last week did not report any instance of the algal bloom in Franklin County from water samples taken in Eastpoint. Updated information from samples taken this week is expected to be posted Wednesday. 

“We have received several reports of fish kills, respiratory irritation and discolored water from St. George Island,” said Carly Jones with the state's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in a Tuesday email. “The suspected cause does appear to be red tide, but that is unconfirmed at this time.”

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The institute is part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Between Friday and Sunday, FWC received at least two dozen reports of fish kills. 

Red tide, which scientists call harmful, is caused by naturally occurring algae called Karenia brevis, or K. brevis. When K. brevis appears in large quantities – typically in the Gulf of Mexico – it can turn ocean water red, brown or green.

K. brevis contains harmful toxins that can affect the nervous systems of fish, birds and mammals.

Residents of the barrier island have reported symptoms similar to red tide and a number of dead fish washing ashore. 

Captain Krista Miller with Island Charters said she has noticed small baitfish among the washed up seagrasses but she has not noticed larger gamefish, which she pursues with clients or marine mammals.

For the past few days, however, she said she had problems breathing when she went outside. 

Miller said rain Tuesday seemed to clear out respiratory irritation, and fishing charters through the end of the week have been postponed mostly due to continued wet forecasts in the region.

She said conditions seemed to have improved since the weekend. "Over the last 24 hours there have been no new dead fish washing ashore and the coughing has gotten better," she said.

In recent years, massive fish kills and toxic water thick with green algal goop have plagued mostly southwest and South Florida as the frequency and intensity of red tide has increased.

Contact Karl Etters at ketters@tallahassee.com or @KarlEtters on Twitter.

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