8/24/2023 0 Comments Toxic red tide florida![]() The pollution is made worse because many wetlands in Florida have been developed, so water moves quickly into the rivers and lakes, without natural filtration through the estuaries. Work crews clean up dead fish along Coquina Beach on 6 August. There is more clarity on the causes of the cyanobacteria bloom: scientists believe that it is likely caused by warmer waters from climate change and polluted runoff from agriculture and urban areas surrounding Lake Okeechobee. But the foul-smelling algae are clogging canals, preventing fishing and similarly affecting tourism business. Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in July to respond to the blue-green algae (which is actually a species of cyanobacteria, not an algae) and combat pollution. “We do know that we haven’t had the physical conditions that sometimes help with bloom termination, that help push the bloom offshore.”Īt the same time that the Karenia brevis bloom is casting a pall on south-western Florida’s beaches, a record-breaking bloom of blue-green “algae” is also spreading through its freshwater. “There’s a lot of different things that can be involved,” said Kate Hubbard, who leads the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s harmful algal bloom research group. Scientists are still trying to determine what is responsible for this bloom, but the consensus so far seems to be that a combination of factors – including heavy rainfall, ocean temperature and salinity, unlucky wind patterns and pollution – could have aligned to create just the right conditions for Karenia brevis to thrive and to stay put. “Just observing not having any traffic, and not seeing anyone on the beach other than cleaners.” ![]() “It’s scary, and it’s weird and it’s devastating really,” said Morgan Combs, who grew up on Sanibel and works at a local inn. In a recently released survey, businesses in Sarasota County reported losses of up to 6% compared to last year, which they have attributed to the bloom.Ī dead snook along the water’s edge in Bradenton Beach. Though Sanibel’s beaches have now been cleaned up – the bloom is continuing. ![]() “This is the cleanest the beaches have been in two weeks,” she added. “There’s definitely been many, many, fewer people,” said Hillman, the sunset reflecting on the reddish tint in the water behind her last week.Ĭlean-up crews had removed the dead fish from the sand earlier in the day, but the water was still dark, and the beach was sparsely populated. People with asthma or other respiratory diseases are at risk of more serious complications, however. The algae also causes mild respiratory irritation, so those who brave the smell can spend their time on the beach – if they can put up with a cough and watery eyes. Sanibel Island is usually bustling at this time of year, but the sight and smell of scores of dead fish on beaches, and reports on the bloom in the news, have kept many tourists away. But this bloom has lasted from one season into the next without reprieve, and achieved the unusually high densities believed to be responsible for killing so much wildlife. While algal blooms are common here, they are usually constrained to a few months in late summer or early fall, and are mainly noticeable for the dark, greenish-red color they give the water. Dead fish near a boat ramp in Bradenton Beach, Florida.
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