Red tide ‘rock stars’ talk facts and future at Tiger Bay event

Amid the worst red tide outbreak the area has seen in 50 years, the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club hosted a panel of local experts for an in-depth conversation on the crises afflicting bay area waters and beyond.

The luncheon on Friday marked the return of in-person events for the club following a year of meeting virtually. Held at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, the meeting was attended by local officials Senator Darryl Rouson, City Council Chair Ed Montanari, and Vice-Chair Gina Driscoll – whose district includes both the yacht club and areas of St. Pete that have been hit hard by red tide. They were joined by Tiger Bay members and guests to hear from some of the brightest minds on the subject.

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The panel consisted of J.P. Brooker, Director of Florida Conservancy for the Ocean Conservancy, Dr. Kate Hubbard, research scientist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and Thomas Frazier, Dean of the College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida. Alison Barlow, Executive Director of the St. Pete Innovation District, moderated the discussion.

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“You may not realize, these folks are rock stars nationally,” Barlow said of the panel. “They are well-known in their field, well-esteemed, and if you go to any conference in this field, they are swarmed with people that want to talk with them.”

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Hubbard explained to the crowd that while the area has experienced red tide in six of the last 10 years, this year is unique due to the locations and concentrations of Karenia brevis – the organism that causes red tide. The harmful algal blooms are rarely found so far into Tampa Bay and not usually at such a high concentration.

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