Education and Resources

Education 

Below are links to videos and handouts for more information related to HABs, seafood safety and other related topics.

Education Center | Protecting Florida Together (protectingfloridatogether.gov)

Red Tide Videos | FWC (myfwc.com)

Red Tide Rack Cards | FWC (myfwc.com)

Veterinarian and Pet Owner Animal Health Resources

• Keep Your Pet Safe From Harmful Algal Blooms in Florida
• Florida HAB Fact Sheet for Veterinarians
• CDC’s Cyanobacterial Blooms and Animals Poster
• CDC's Reference Brochure for Veterinarians
• CDC's Pet Safety Card

Resources 

Beach Conditions: Red tide blooms can be patchy, meaning that conditions at one beach may be suitable, while conditions at another beach may not be.

Mote Marine Lab’s Beach Conditions Reporting System provides the beach status information you need to know before you go, such as weather, fish kill reports and reports of respiratory irritation.

Similarly, the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) HAB Respiratory Forecast tool predicts the likelihood of respiratory irritation, updated every three hours, based on forecasted wind speed and direction, along with recent sampling results.

Local Harvesting Status: Please visit the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)’s website for shellfish harvesting status updates. Shellfish harvesting areas may be closed if affected by blooms because shellfish, as filter feeders, can accumulate toxins and make cause illness when consumed.

Resource Guide for Public Health Response to Harmful Algal Blooms in Florida: The Resource Guide was originally published in 2009, and is periodically updated here by FWC, in collaboration with FDOH and other partners. It provides tools and information on current science, regulations, monitoring, outreach strategies, mitigation and policy needs to guide public health preparedness and response to HABs.

Private waterbodies are not typically sampled by state agencies, as they are not jurisdictionally waters of the state. The Best Management Practices for Blue-Green Algal Blooms in your Stormwater Pond guide, developed by the University of Florida IFAS Extension, provides information for understanding and managing these scenarios. For a list of laboratories that can analyze for cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins, visit the EPA’s website.

Learn more about HABs and potential health impacts by visiting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) websites.