Algal Bloom Incident; Gulf of Mexico off Panama City, FL-St. Andrews Bay

Gulf of Mexico off Panama City, FL-St. Andrews Bay | 2011-Jan-31

Initial Notification: On Monday January 31, 2011, The NOAA SSC covering District 8 was notified of recent reports of unknown bright orange-pink substances in and around Panama City, FL. On January 27th USCG unit Panama City, FL investigated the report of an orange-pink substance floating in St. Andrews Marina, near Panama City, FL. The substance had no oily smell and in addition to floating, some of the material was present below the surface. It was also noted to be phosphorescent. A sample was taken but not sent off to be analysed for oil. On Sunday, January 30th, USCG received reports and photos of a similar material offshore of Panama City 6, 10 and 12 miles. Based on the description, the NOAA SSC suspected an algal bloom, which has since been confirmed as Noctiluca scintillans, a non-photosynthetic, bioluminescent, and generally non-toxic algae that commonly blooms at this time of year, as well as other seasons. This hotline report is being opened to capture the information for reference and in the event responders to the DWH Gulf Oil Spill receive inquiries on if the event is related to it. On February 18, additional reports of algal blooms have been coming into USCG and Florida Wildlife Commission (FWC) all across the FL Panhandle. FWC's Harmfull Algal Bloom team is monitoring the situation.