Satellite imagery used to track the harmful algal bloom has gone dark until the shutdown ends.

SARASOTA — While red tide levels have become nearly undetectable in Sarasota and Manatee County waters, scientists are struggling to monitor the harmful algal bloom that began 16 months ago, in 2017.

Due to the government shutdown, experts have been unable since Dec. 22 to use weather satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association to determine the significance of algal patches off the west coast of Florida.

Read more: Complete coverage of red tide in Southwest Florida

More than 800,000 federal workers have been furloughed.

President Donald Trump spoke during a White House meeting with his Cabinet as the partial government shutdown continues into its 12th day, the AP reported. Congress and the president are at an impasse over funding for Trump’s pet project, a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Some reports indicate red tide is still present near the coast. Water samples tested by Mote on Wednesday and Thursday showed medium to high concentrations found about a mile offshore from Lido and Siesta Key beaches.

The Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County’s lab tests showed high levels at Siesta and a portion of Lido Beach, while the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s samplings provided positive news regarding local red tide cell counts.

Red tide concentrations did not appear to have a strong onshore effect at Sarasota County beaches. Area beaches have had strong attendance since red tide significantly dissipated in late December, although a westerly wind could bring patches of the bloom closer to shore on Friday.

Mote boat captains venturing farther offshore reported large patches in the Gulf of Mexico, said Vince Lovko, manager of the marine center’s phytoplankton ecology program.

“About 2 1/2 miles offshore,” Lovko said, a captain “saw a very dense patch of some sort of phytoplankton; he took a sample and brought it back to us and those had very, very high concentrations of Karenia brevis,” the organism responsible for red tide.

According to Lovko, scientists would typically match those reports with satellite imagery to see just how big the bloom is.

“Unfortunately, the satellite products usually come from the University of South Florida,” he said. “Their topical oceanography laboratory they provide these products, but they are unable to access the data from the NOAA website due to the government shutdown.”



Without the satellite imagery of a red tide bloom that has decimated sea life — killing more than 570 sea turtles, 209 manatees, and 127 dolphins — scientists cannot predict whether it’s patchy or moving.

“It definitely hinders our ability to understand what’s going on,” Lovko said. “And granted we can go out and do boat based sampling, but often we use those satellite images to guide our boat based sampling.”

SNN-TV reporter Samantha Sonner contributed to this report.