Get your Florida fishing license and start planning your next family fishing adventure. Florida businesses rely on visitors every year and, when red tide keeps visitors away, everyone is adversely impacted-restaurants, fishing guides, shops, hotels.įlorida is still the best place in the U.S. Non-residents are encouraged to visit the Sunshine State and support local businesses, even by shopping online. Residents can help by reducing the chemicals used in their yards and reporting dead marine species to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. What can you do to help?Ĭurrently, there is significant research being done on ways to mitigate and control red tide blooms in the future. Wind and current can carry the bloom offshore, cold temperatures can kill the organisms or red tide can naturally dissipate if it lacks the nutrients needed to grow. The proper conditions will help alleviate red tide blooms, but there is no way to predict how long it could take. It’s also advised not to swim in waters where dead fish are present. People with respiratory problems are advised to avoid red tide, but it is smart for everyone to consult their physician in order to take proper precautions. When humans are exposed to airborne red tide toxins, they experience irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, and symptoms such as coughing or wheezing. Red tide blooms are often characterized by vast amounts of dead fish floating on the surface and washing up along the shores. With the right conditions, red tide algae spreads, releasing toxins that kill marine life and can cause health problems for humans. Current then carries the red tide organisms inshore where they’re fueled to harmful levels by warm water and other nutrients such as polluted stormwater runoff and septic tank leakage. This process begins when storms and current upwell nutrients from the bottom of the Gulf to the surface. Red tide is a naturally-occurring phenomenon that originates in the Gulf of Mexico when a microscopic algae called Karenia brevis begins to accumulate and grow rapidly. Normally, these blooms last a few weeks but, on occasion, can last for months, creating problems for marine life, humans and businesses. The algae, which is known formally as the single-cell Karenia brevis, has concentrated near Tampa and neighboring communities. 1,2 These toxins can kill fish, make shellfish dangerous to eat, and make the surrounding air difficult to breathe for humans and animals. They result from large accumulation of aquatic microorganisms, such as protozoans and unicellular algae. Nearly every summer in Florida, an algae bloom known as red tide shows up in the waters of the Gulf Coast. Dead fish are washing up on the southwest Florida coast thanks to a toxic algae known as red tide that can pose a risk to humans. Red tides are harmful algal blooms (HABs) that occur along coastal regions.
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