Rare algae blooms diminish off Naples and Marco, county reports

Blooms of Takayama tuberculata have turned the water a rust red color in a canal on the west side of Copperfield Court on Marco, turned the water yellow in canals around Gin Lane in Port Royal neighborhood off Naples Bay and contain strings of white, mucous-like material.

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NAPLES — The algae blooms recently reported in canals on Marco Island and in Naples' Port Royal continue to diminish in concentration, according to results from samples collected Wednesday by the Collier County Pollution Control & Prevention Department.

Results from samples collected from near Gin Lane on Naples Bay continue to show that extremely low levels of the rare algae Takayama tuberculata are still present. Samples from the Copperfield Court canal on Marco Island show that Takayama is no longer present, the county reported Friday.

Toxins have not been found to be associated with either of these local blooms, so no health impacts are expected, the county reports.

Tests show these rare blooms do not contain the same toxin as red tide. That means the algae blooms do not pose the same kind of health risk as red tide poses to people with chronic respiratory ailments, such as asthma or emphysema.

To report dead fish or red tide symptoms, call the county's Pollution Control and Prevention Department at (239) 252-2502. To speak to a health professional anytime, call the Aquatic Toxins Hotline toll free at 1-888-232-8635.

Collier County Red Tide Updates are available on the Red Tide Hotline at (239) 252-2591. This is an automated recording with the most recent red tide information for Collier County available anytime.

Get real-time beach reports from the Beach Conditions Reports for Southwest Florida web site at www.mote.org/beaches. Click on your beach of choice and find out if there is any respiratory irritation, dead fish or red drift algae at that location. The web site is updated twice a day every day.