Red tide, fish kills persist along Collier beaches, officials say

Red tide conditions continue to plague Collier County beaches and back bays as reports of fish kills and respiratory issues persist, officials said Tuesday.

Shorelines from Barefoot Beach to Gordon Pass are experiencing the effects of the red tide algae bloom, said Rhonda Watkins, a senior operations analyst with Collier County Pollution Control.

"We're getting dead fish all along the Naples beaches," she said, adding that Marco Island "seems to be the least affected" at the moment.

Watkins said some of the county's back bays — including Clam Bay, Moorings Bay and the Cocohatchee River up to the Immokalee Road weir — also have fish kills.

Water samples collected Monday showed that the Florida red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was detected in very low to medium concentrations at seven of the nine locations sampled, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report released Tuesday.

The highest concentration of Karenia brevis was found at Vanderbilt Beach in North Naples with 484,120 cells per liter, which constitutes a medium count and can lead to respiratory irritation and "probable" fish kills, according to the report.

Researchers found the second-highest concentration of the organism at Barefoot Beach State Preserve with 217,933 cells per liter, which also is considered a medium count.

The next-highest concentration of red tide was sampled at the Naples Pier with 95,333 cells per liter, considered a low count but still high enough to cause respiratory irritation and "possible" fish kills, the report states.

Last week, test results showed "high counts" of "over a million cells per liter" at Barefoot Beach and Vanderbilt Beach, which can lead to fish kills, discolored water and respiratory issues for beachgoers, Watkins said.

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Seagate Beach showed medium counts, and the Naples Pier and South Marco Beach had low counts last week, she said.

Red tide conditions are expected to continue to persist this week in Collier, and people with respiratory issues should avoid the beach, Watkins said.

County crews have been cleaning fish off the beach "for the last several days and will continue to do so as long as quantities of dead fish wash up on shore," said Gary McAlpin, coastal zone manager for the county, in an email. 

McAlpin said county crews clean Vanderbilt Beach and Marco Island beaches. Barefoot Beach, Pelican Bay and Hideaway Beach contact the county when they want their beaches cleaned, he said. The county is then compensated for those cleanup efforts.

Naples is responsible for cleaning its beaches.

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