Tag Archives: Toxic algae
Another ‘red tide’ left 15 tons of dead fish on Tampa Bay’s shore. Experts warn of more destruction
The dead fish have been washing up on the shores of Tampa Bay in West Central Florida since at least early June, thanks to a natural phenomenon known as “red tide”, large “blooms” of toxic algae that spread through the water. They can harm sea creatures and even humans. Since Tropical Storm Elsa swept Florida last week, the problem has become worse, as strong winds pushed scores of lifeless fish onto the shores of St. Petersburg, surrounding residents and visitors in a miasma of rotting death. >click to read< 11:01
‘The Worst I’ve Ever Seen It’: Lean Stone Crab Season Follows Red Tide in Florida
On a good day, in a good year, a captain fishing off the shores of the Florida Everglades might catch 400 pounds of one of the state’s unrivaled delicacies, the stone crab. These are not good days. As the sun began to set on a recent cloudless afternoon, the kind that makes it unthinkable to spend winters anywhere but in Florida, Rick Collins piloted the High Cotton to a dock in Everglades City, the fishing village where three generations of his family have made a living trapping stone crab. His crew offloaded the day’s haul onto a huge scale. Seventy-three pounds. “This is about the worst I’ve ever seen it,” said Mr. Collins, 69, a crabber for more than half a century. >click to read<13:37
Dungeness crab: Toxic algae could delay Northern California season
Bay Area fishermen are worried that the Dungeness crab season could be delayed by high levels of a naturally occurring toxin that’s harmful to humans. Don Marshall, a fishermen out of Pillar Point Harbor in San Mateo County, said the Northern California fleet is worried that the commercial season, slated to open Nov. 15 in time for Thanksgiving, could be delayed for weeks and even months. The Nov. 7 opening of the recreational season could also be pushed back. “If we lose the Thanksgiving market and the holiday market, that’s a crusher for us,” Read the rest here 21:28
Toxic algae blooming off West Coast endangering marine life and forcing seafood bans
This coastal ribbon of microscopic algae, up to 64 kilometres wide and 198 metres deep in places, is flourishing amid unusually warm Pacific Ocean temperatures. It now stretches from at least California to Alaska and has shut down lucrative fisheries. So-called “red tides” are cyclical and have happened many times before, but ocean researchers say this one is much larger and persisting much longer, with bringing severe consequences for the Pacific seafood industry, coastal tourism and marine ecosystems. Read the rest here 09:32
