(JACKSON, Miss.) — The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
(MDEQ), through its Beach Monitoring Program, lifted a Gulf Coast wide
beach closure Friday that was issued December 11 due to a large
concentration of Karenia brevis algae causing a red tide off shore.
The lifting of the closure only applies to near shore swimming, wading, or
other water contact. Near shore is defined as from the shipping channel in
the Mississippi Sound to the shoreline. Near shore sampling by the
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) indicate a zero cell
count for Karenia brevis.
MDEQ staff are monitoring the beaches for dead fish and encourage the
public not to touch or consume anything found on the beaches. The
guidelines for fishing and harvesting other seafood are handled by the
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.
Conditions are subject to change and MDEQ will continue to monitor the
situation and will revise the advisory as needed.
