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The presence of a red tide in northwest Florida during the fall of 1999 is summarized by

date, location, cell counts, and effects.

SUMMARY OF RED TIDE IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA Fall 1999

Date

(1999)

Locations

Map

Cell Counts Effects

August 5 Mexico Beach

St. George Island

Reports of

dead fish

August 8-13 Cape San Blas

Mexico Beach

very low

very low

August 17-

18

Mexico Beach

St. Joe Beach

low

very low

Shellfish harvesting

areas (SHAs) closed in

St. Joseph Bay

August 21 St. Joseph Bay Dead

dolphins

and sea

turtles

August 23-

26

St. Joe Beach

Gulf to Bay counties

very low

very low

Dead fish and

discolored water

SHAs closed in

Apalachicola Bay

August 31-

September 3

St. Joseph Bay

St. Vincent Island

low

very low

Respiratory irritation

Dead fish off Bay

County

September 7

-10

St. Vincent Island

St. Joseph Bay

Panama City

medium

medium to

high

medium to

high

SHAs opened in

Apalachicola Bay

September

13-18

St. Vincent Island

St. Joseph Bay

Panama City

Offshore of Panama

City

very low

low to

medium

high

low to

medium

September

17-23

St. Joseph Bay

Cape San Blas

Choctawhatchee

Bay

low

low to

medium

low to

medium

September

19-25

St. Joseph Bay

St. Andrew Bay to

east

Choctawhatchee

Bay

very low

low to

medium

Bloom moving to the

west

September

26-October 2

St. Joseph Bay

Destin area

Pensacola Bay

very low

very low to

high

SHAs closed

Choctawhatchee Bay

Home : Research : Red Tide : HAB Archive : Historical Florida HAB Events : Red Tide in Northwest Florida 1999

Red Tide in Northwest Florida 1999

Red Tide in Northwest Florida—1999 Page 1 of 3

http://myfwc.com/research/redtide/archive/historical-events/nw-fl-1999/ 9/20/2011
very low to

medium

October 4-8 St. Andrew Bay

Choctawhatchee

Bay

Pensacola Bay

very low

very low to

low

very low

October 11-

14

St. Joseph Bay very low SHAs opened in

Escambia County

October 18-

22

Alabama-Florida state

line

very low Dead dolphins in Bay

County

November 5 West end of

Choctawhatchee Bay

low to high SHAs closed in

Choctawhatchee Bay

until early January

2000

November 8 West end of

Choctawhatchee Bay

medium

November

15-16

West end of

Choctawhatchee Bay

low to

medium

November

22-23

West end of

Choctawhatchee Bay

Santa Rosa Sound

medium

very low

November

30-

December 2

Eastern Santa Rosa

Sound

West end of

Choctawhatchee

Bay

low to

medium

low to

medium

December 7-

8

Choctawhatchee Bay low to

medium

December

13

Choctawhatchee Bay low to

medium

December

27

Mouth of

Choctawhatchee Bay

low to

medium

SHA = shellfish harvesting area

Key for

Results:

Karenia brevis

cells/liter Possible Effects

VERY LOW < 10,000 Continued shellfish harvesting ban and

possible respiratory irritation

LOW < 100,000 Respiratory irritation and maybe fish kills

MEDIUM 100,000 to <

1,000,000

Respiratory irritation and probable fish

kills

HIGH > 1,000,000 All of the above plus water discoloration

Red Tide in Northwest Florida—1999 Page 2 of 3

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