'Not out of the woods yet': Red tide could persist into midweek, Collier officials say

A patchy red tide algae bloom that stretches from Collier to Charlotte counties continues to make its presence felt on some Collier and Lee beaches, and officials say conditions could persist into midweek. 

Collier County officials continue to receive reports about fish kills and of beachgoers experiencing respiratory issues, especially at Barefoot Beach and South Marco Beach, said Rhonda Watkins, a senior operations analyst with Collier County Pollution Control, on Monday.

Barefoot Beach has seen the most reports of dead fish, although it is not necessarily clear which are old and which are new, Watkins said. Researchers have encountered red tide conditions at all Collier beaches, with higher concentrations in Lee, she said. 

Forecasts show that winds and currents could carry medium levels of concentration, which is the threshold where fish kills can occur, into northern Collier before Thursday, Watkins said.

"We're not out of the woods yet," she said.

Crews collected water samples Monday, but results would not be known until Tuesday, Watkins said. Because the red tide bloom is so "patchy," samples collected at the beach don't necessarily correlate with conditions offshore, she said.

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Winds can carry red tide to shore, so people with respiratory problems should avoid the beach, Watkins said.

In the latest Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report released Friday, officials said they found a bloom of the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, in very low to low concentrations in samples collected from Charlotte, very low to medium concentrations in samples collected from or offshore of Lee, and background to medium concentrations in samples collected from Collier. 

Fish kills were reported in Lee at Big Carlos Pass, Bonita Beach, Bonita Dog Beach, Gasparilla Island, Lighthouse Beach, Little Estero Island Beach, Lovers Key, near New Pass, Newton Park and Sanibel Island, according to the FWC report.

In Collier, dead fish were reported at Barefoot Beach, Central Avenue beach, Big Hickory Pass, Doctors Pass, Via Miramar Beach, near Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Residents Beach and Vanderbilt Beach. 

Respiratory irritation was reported over the past week at Bonita Beach, Lovers Key, Newton Park, Barefoot Beach, Seagate, South Marco Beach and Vanderbilt Beach.

Although the red tide effects have been far-reaching, Naples beaches have been largely spared so far. 

"We have no dead fish," Naples harbormaster Roger Jacobsen said Monday, adding that he hasn't felt the bloom's impact on his respiratory system. 

"I don't feel it, don't sense it."

Jacobsen said 4- to 6-foot breakers in the waters Monday may have been responsible for churning up the sea and breaking up the bloom. 

"It can help it tremendously," he said. 

When waters are calm, Jacobsen said, "it just hangs there."

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At Lovers Key State Park, officials said they saw the worst of the red tide around Wednesday last week. 

"We had a lot of dead catfish and sardines," said Robert Steiger, the park's manager.

He estimated that about 1,000 fish washed ashore.

"Worst I've seen it," Steiger said. "It was a lot, a lot of fish."

Park crews worked hard to clear the beaches before a front moving through over the weekend took care of the rest, he said.

"It blew everything out," Steiger said, "nature's way of cleaning things up."