Red Tide Engulfs Florida Beaches

Floridians cannot seem to catch a break. After a devastating sinkhole affected water quality a few weeks ago and as the state is recovering from the effects of Hurricane Matthew, Florida is also dealing with a “red tide” that has been engulfing its beaches.

Also known as Karenia brevis, named for retired biologist Karen Steidinger, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) defines red tide as "harmful algal bloom, wherein there is a higher-than-normal concentration of a microscopic alga (plantlike organism)."

The FFWCC announced on its website that the red tide had been spreading across the Manatee and Sarasota beaches and has reached the Pinellas County.

"As of September 30th, fish kills affecting multiple species, as well as respiratory irritation, have been reported at locations along Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties," the update read.

The first report of dead fish was reported last month by The Tampa Bay Times. Fish were washing up on at the Tradewinds Resort on St. Pete Beach.

The red tide algae blooms are not caused by the release of waste into the coastal waters, according to The Tampa Bay Times, but sewage can fuel the bloom so that it sticks around longer.

Red tides can last as little as a few weeks or longer than a year, according to Nature World News. Because of the toxic chemicals that are carried by the wind, there is a possibility that red tides could be dangerous.

Usually the red tides cause no problems, but there are times when the algae population offshore “explodes into something called a bloom in which the algae multiplies rapidly and spreads,” The Tampa Bay Times reported.  

No one is really certain what causes the major blooms of red tide offshore and no one knows what can bring them to an end.

The big blooms release toxins that are deadly to marine creatures, according to The Tampa Bay Times. A bloom along the Southwest Florida coast in 2013 killed 200 manatees.

These blooms can last for months, The Tampa Bay Times reported. They are “fueled sometimes by nitrate pollution flowing from over fertilized yards, leaky septic tanks and other sources, including sewage dumped by cities.”

For more on algae blooms visit Water Online’s Nutrient Removal Solutions Center.