the same month. The last recorded fish 

 kill during this outbreak occurred Octo- 

 ber 22, 1959, 3 miles west of Egmont 

 Key. [p. 52.] 



"The incidence of G^. breve decreased 

 in Tampa Bay and the nearshore waters 

 during November, but blooms of this 

 organism to 400,000 per liter still oc- 

 curred 10 miles west of Egnnont Key. 

 Following the advent of weather fronts 

 accompanied by lower water tempera- 

 tures and turbulent sea conditions, 

 G. breve incidence and numbers de- 

 clined during December 1959 and Jan- 

 uary 1960. 



"From February to April 1960 

 G. breve increased again in numbers 

 and distribution. In March, 35 miles 

 west of Egmont Key, a bloom of 6,320,000 

 per liter was observed. Scattered dead 

 fish extended 15-35 miles offshore. No 

 further fish kills were reported in April 

 and May. The highest population en- 

 countered at that time was 21,000 per 

 liter 10 miles west of Egmont Key. 



above 30° C. n-iay inhibit blooms, 

 [p. 53.] 



"The neritic nature of G. breve was 

 indicated by its presence to depths of 

 123 feet in numbers ranging from 7, 000- 

 16,1 00 per liter, 40 miles west of Egmont 

 Key, November 1959 and March 1960. 



"Organisms were present inthe near- 

 shore and offshore waters throughout the 

 year during non-bloom periods.... G. 

 breve was completely absent from the 

 middle of Tampa Bay except during the 

 blooms of September-October 1959 and 

 February-March 1960. This suggests 

 that G. breve is primarily a neritic 

 organism found in estuarine waters only 

 when special conditions exist. 



"Organisms were generally present 

 in lower than normal salinities, ranging 

 from approximately 30-35^00 during 

 blooms. Waters having values less than 

 24^0 did not contain blooms of G. breve 

 in Tampa Bay. While salinity may have 

 served as a barrier for G. breve in 

 estuarine waters, it does not normally 

 seem to be a limiting factor in neritic 

 waters. 



"Water temperatures above 22° C. 

 seem to be favorable for blooms of 

 G. breve with the optimum around 

 26°-28° C. However, during February 

 and March 1960, dense populations of 

 G. breve developed at temperatures 



between 15°-li 



C. Since G. breve 



has been observed in waters as cold as 

 9° C., low water temperatures nor- 

 mally may not be an absolute limiting 

 factor for the existence of this orga- 

 nism. Temperatures below 14° C. and 



"Blooms of Prorocentrum micans and 

 Ceratium furca occurred during Novem- 

 ber and December 1959 in Tampa Bay. . . 

 blooms of Gymnodinium splendens were 

 present March 29, I960, in upper and 

 middle Tampa Bay. . . . 



" Skuiaella erythraeum continued to be 

 the dominant blue-green alga in the 

 surface waters from Tampa Bay to 40 

 nniles west of Egmont Key during the 

 summer and fall of 1959." [p. 54.] 



FINUCANE, JOHN H. 



196l. Ecology of red tide, hi Galveston 

 Biological Laboratory fishery research 

 for the year ending June 30, 1961, 

 p. 61-64. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv., Circ. 

 129. 



"A minor red tide developed in the 

 neritic waters off Tampa Bay during 

 July and August 1 960. Blooms of G. breve 

 as dense as 420,000 per liter were found 

 off Egmont Key, July 27, 1960. Fish 

 kills, principally confined to that area, 

 were of a very linnited nature. During 

 August the greatest numbers of this 

 organism (up to 150,000 per liter) were 

 present fronrx 5 to 20 miles off Egmont 

 Key. The number of samples containing 

 G. breve increased from a low of 3 per- 

 cent in June to 64 percent in August 

 during this outbreak. No further fish 

 kills were recorded after the first week 

 in August. . . ." [p. 61.] 



FINUCANE, JOHN H. 



1964. Distribution and seasonal occurrence 

 of G ynnno d inium breve on the west coast 

 of Florida, 1954-57. U.S. Fish Wildl. 

 Serv., Spec. Sci. Rep. Fish. 487, 

 iv + 14 p. 



"The tern-i 'bloom' represents any 

 concentration of G. breve exceeding 

 the normal population level of approxi- 

 mately 1,000/1. G. breve counts of 

 more than 250,000/1. were considered 

 lethal during red-tide fish kills." [p. 1.] 



The coast from Tarpon Springs to 

 Cape Sable is divided into 3 sectors. 

 Tables and figures give the relative 

 abundance of G. breve in the samples 

 by sector by 2-month periods from 

 January 1954 through December 1957. 



In sector A (Anclote Keys to Venice) 

 the organisms were just approaching 

 bloom abundance during 1954, scarce 

 through 1955 and 1956, and in full 

 bloom during the last 4 nnonths of 1957. 



34 



