The red tide bloom along the Pinellas County shoreline moved further north on Wednesday, with the highest concentrations found from Madeira Beach to Honeymoon Island, according to Pinellas County Public Works.
What You Need To Know
- The red tide bloom has moved farther north to Honeymoon Island
- Officials urge people to check NOAA's respiratory forecast tool before heading to the beach
- The bloom is expected to continue moving north for another week
- Previous Coverage
County staff flew in the Pinellas Sheriff's Office helicopter and reported the red tide bloom also extends one mile west of Clearwater Beach. Bloom activity was seen in the Intracoastal Waterway in the Clearwater and Dunedin area too.
A large fish kill was observed along a seawall in Dunedin. The county will add some small boats on Thursday to collect dead fish in the water before they reach the shore. Equipment has also been staged in Madeira Beach for collecting dead fish offshore.
Pinellas Public Works says the red tide bloom now extends north to Honeymoon Island. Highest concentrations are found along the mid-to-north county shoreline. Pinellas will use boats to collect dead fish offshore from Clearwater Beach on Thursday. @BN9 pic.twitter.com/H6MQQfHbd8
— Josh Rojas (@JoshRojasBN9) June 16, 2021
Pinellas Public Works Director Kelli Hammer Levy said people should check the conditions before heading to the beach.
"You saw me coughing, and it's very intense in some areas," she said. "I would not encourage folks to visit those area based on the respiratory forecast tool."
Hammer Levy said the good news is that low concentrations have been found at Fort De Soto and Pass-A-Grille.
The conditions in north Pinellas County suggest that the bloom activity is still moving north. Northern movement is predicted to continue for about another week, according to the Public Works Department.