Red tide video series continues with “Seafood Safety”

The next installment in the red tide educational video series, Seafood Safety, is now available to the public. Following our recent animated video on red tide in Florida’s marine and estuarine waters, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute has developed a video covering safe seafood practices during a red tide bloom. This information is intended for residents and visitors and covers three main topics:

• Can I eat my catch?
• Can I order seafood from a restaurant?
• I think I ate tainted seafood. What should I do?

Available as a single video or as three shorter stand-alone videos focused on each topic, these easy-to-access resources can be readily shared to help provide critical education leading up to and during red tide events.

The information is intended for a variety of audiences, from vacationers with little knowledge of red tide to long-time residents who wish to know more about staying safe when consuming seafood in the presence of red tide.

In 2020, the reactivated Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force identified a need in their first consensus document for communication efforts to better educate the public about red tide and other HABs. In response, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) HAB Grants program funded Florida Sea Grant to develop a communications strategy for red tide in Florida. This video was created, in part, to address some of the recommendations in this strategy.

Links to videos are available below:
Full Video
Can I Eat My Catch?
Can I Order Seafood from a Restaurant?
I Think I Ate Tainted Seafood. What Should I do?

For more information on red tide in Florida:  MyFWC.com/redtide

To see the current status of red tide in Florida: MyFWC.com/redtidestatus 

For FDACS Shellfish Harvesting Status: Shellfish.fdacs.gov

For health information: floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/aquatic-toxins/index.html