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Dead fish continue to fail on the closed beaches of Indian River County, such as the Golden Sands Park, seen on Thursday, October 18, 2018 due to the red tide.
Xavier Mascareñas and Jeremiah Wilson, Treasure Coast Newspapers
Fish killed by the Red Tide Pepper Park Beach litter in St. Lucie County on Monday, October 22, 2018 and the beach remained closed on Tuesday, October 23.(Photo: PATRICK DOVE / TCPALM)
The Red Tide is now extending 100 miles along the east coast of Florida from Hobe Sound to Cape Canaveral.
But, fingers crossed, changing winds starting Friday and extending throughout the weekend could help to destroy it.
"The red tide is still present and, in some places anyway, still in effect," said Malcolm McFarland, research associate at the Ocean Institute of Harbor Branch in Fort Pierce.
More:Where is the red tide in Florida? Get the latest news from FWC
More: Satellite images show Space Coast hugging red tide
The seawater samples collected by McFarland on Monday contained:
- 2 million red tide cells per liter in the state park of Avalon Beach, on North Hutchinson Island, in St. Lucia County
- 1 million cells per liter in South Beach, south of Vero Beach, on the barrier island of Indian River County
Accounts of 1 million cells or more are considered high by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and cause respiratory problems and fish kills.
More:The red tide still closes the fish, causing a cough
At this concentration, the reddish brown cells that give its name to the red tide are thick enough to be seen.
The FWC also reported high levels of red tide at Cocoa Beach and Satellite Beach in Brevard County and Wabasso Beach in Indian River County.
More: Cleanup efforts at red tide beaches could cost more than $ 145,000 to Indian River County
The shores of Indian River County were covered with dead fish on October 17, 2018. Red tide was detected at medium to high levels off the coast, according to the Wildlife and Fish Conservation Commission of Florida. MARY HELEN MOORE / TCPALM
Wochit
Beach roundup
All beaches in Indian River County, where dead fish have been landing for a week, were closed on Tuesday.
Since the beginning of Saturday, a contractor hired by the county, Vero Beach and the Indian River Shores and Orchid towns has cleaned about 7 km of the county's seafront, which has 22.5 km.
The sweeping of the beaches is expected to last about three weeks, announced Tuesday evening County Coastal Engineer James Gray.
Several beaches in St. Lucia have average levels (100,000 to 1 million cells per liter), sufficient to cause respiratory problems and likely to kill fish.
More: Did the red tide kill fish in the lagoon of Indian River, in St. Lucia County?
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The Pepper Park Beach on North Hutchinson Island, in St. Lucia County, was closed Tuesday due to the presence of dead fish on the shore and the red tide in the water, County spokesman Erick Gill said.
St. Lucia County is working with its debris removal contractor, AshBritt Environmental, to remove thousands of dead fish along a five-mile beach near Pepper Park as of Wednesday morning.
In Martin County, the beaches of Jensen Beach and Hobe Sound still have low levels of red tide (10,000 to 100,000 cells per liter), which is still enough to cause respiratory problems and possibly kill fish.
More:Could the red tide kill manatees, dolphins, sea turtles on the treasure coast?
The beaches of Martin County are open and guarded by lifeguards, but signs indicate visitors of potential red tides and the resulting symptoms: coughs, scratches, runny noses and eyes.
A sign at the entrance to Virginia Forrest Beach, in Martin County, warns visitors of the possible red tide. (Photo: TYLER TREADWAY / TCPALM)
Changing winds
"The winds and currents prevent it from leaving, going north," McFarland said. "The question is: for how long?"
Well, a front arriving in Florida on Friday should bring southwest winds of 15 to 20 mph, said Matt Volkmer, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Melbourne.
More: The blossoming of the east coast came from the Gulf of Mexico
And if that's not enough to reverse the red tide toward the sea, the winds will be from the southwest southwest to 10 mph and those northwest northwest from 5 to 10 mph .
Another front will arrive on Monday with stronger winds from the southwest, Volkmer said.
"After that, we're going a bit too far to predict," he added, "but the models show that northern winds will continue until the middle of next week."
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Red tide Boomerang
Hope this is not already seen again: it seemed that the red tide was going away last week.
It started, said McFarland, but he came back.
Harbor Branch staff members have defined drifting buoys, floats equipped with GPS instruments to track ocean currents, Thursday in the ocean off Vero Beach.
"They headed north as we thought," said McFarland, "but only for a few hours, and then they turned around and found themselves on Vero Beach."
More:Why the worst red tide on the east coast at Vero Beach?
Environment reporter Tyler Treadway answers questions about the red tide, including how she went to the Treasury Coast and whether residents should be concerned about its effects on their health.
Maureen Kenyon, [email protected]
Useful numbers
- Martin County Beach Conditions: 772-320-3112
- St. Lucia County Beach Conditions: 772-462-1421
- Indian River County Beach Terms: 772-226-4000
- Health problems related to the red tide: 800-222-1222 (Florida Poison Control Center)
- Report fish deaths: 800-6360511 (FWC)
Read or share this story: https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/indian-river-lagoon/health/2018/10/23/red-tide-100-miles-florida-east-coast/ 1736955002 /
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