SARASOTA, Fla. — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission needs volunteers to help them monitor red tide along Sarasota County beaches as part of their Red Tide Offshore Monitoring Program.
Volunteers need to be able to collect water samples at least once a month from areas like piers, bridges or docks alongshore — or at least one mile offshore.
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FWC will send you sampling supplies and pay for your samples to be shipped to them. They may also ask volunteers to respond to reports of algal blooms to collect samples for analysis.
The FWC's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute established the program in 2000. Red tide is a harmful algal bloom that causes water to have a red or brown hue, it can affect marine life and humans.
The organism that causes the red tide in Florida can affect the central nervous system of fish, killing them. It can also cause serious illness in people who have chronic respiratory conditions, like asthma or emphysema, according to the FWC.
If you're interested in volunteering you can fill out this volunteer sign upform or if you want to find out more information about red tide, visit the FWC's website.
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