Gymnodinium breve is a common, nearly annual bloom species along the Florida shelf. In contrast, Texas blooms are highly intermittent although extremely disruptive to both fishing and tourism industries. The source of Texas red tides is unknown, but it is presumed to be of offshore origins. Unlike Florida, the Texas coast does not have the Loop Current as a source of frontal instrusions on the shelf. Another possibility is that resident G. breve populations exist in the near shore environment. We have established a sampling program in coastal waters (<15 km) to examine near shore waters for the presence of G. breve and related species. Samples were collected twice monthly from 5 stations distributed along the Texas coast. In the first 10 months of 24 total months of sampling (Nov. 1998 to Sept. 1999), no G. breve was recorded from the waters inside 15 km. However, G. mikimotoi, G. sanguineum and G. spp. were recorded at varying concentrations. Regional patterns of chlorophyll and nutrients suggested distinct hydrographic zones along the coast. Since there is no evidence of a resident population, blooms are likely episodic events seeded into the area. A shelf transect noted nutrient rich water sliding onto the shelf as the result of an anticyclonic feature, and could provide both the offshore source waters and intermittent timing associated with the red tide outbreaks. Routine monitoring in the coastal zone may provide little or no warning of impending red tides in these waters.