Darlene Haverkamp and Karen Steidinger, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Marine Research Institute, St. Petersburg, FL

Abstract

Karenia brevis, a toxic dinoflagellate that produces brevetoxins, blooms almost annually in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida. These blooms can cause harmful effects to humans including toxic shellfish poisoning (NSP) and respiratory irritation. The most obvious effects from this type of harmful algal bloom are impacts to natural resources and the environment including surface water discoloration, fish kills, and other animal moralities.

Due to the impacts of these numerous events, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commissions Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI) has committed to creating and maintaining a historical database of K. brevis cell count and water quality data. This type of data is important as it lays the foundation for eventual prediction and management of these events. With this goal in mind, FMRI created a CD-Rom that includes: a subset of the database, Geographic Information System tools to view the data, Java-based query tools to ask summary questions of the data, remote sensing images for identification and potential prediction of red tide blooms. Eventually, this information will be migrated to the Internet and enhanced with meteorological and current data for more comprehensive analyses.