"Water samples show conditions improving across the Tampa Bay area."
More than 3,600,000 pounds of dead sea life has been removed from Pinellas County, Florida!!!
First, that smell must be horrid.
Second, this has been one more example of how damagin red tide can be and the need to decrease the pollution runoff that causes the issue to worsen.
Third, thankfully the local water conditionsa are improving.
These red tides appear every Summer, and can be worse after it rains due to runoff, such as fertilizers that cause the algae blooms to become larger than they would naturally.
"According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, "red tide" is a harmful algal bloom or HAB, that is created when plants in the sea grow out of control and cause harmful toxins. Those toxins can have negative impacts on people, marine mammals, birds, fish and shellfish."
"Harmful algal bloom" or HAB is the preferred scientific term.
"In Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, the species responsible for most red tides is called Karenia brevis, and is often abbreviated as K. brevis."
"Karenia brevis produces brevetoxins that can affect the central nervous system of fish and other vertebrates, which causes these animals to die."
If you use fertilizers at home, try to use organic fertilizers and insure it does not runoff into the street or other waterway access point.
Read the article from WTSP : https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/red-tide/red-tide-marine-debris-pinellas-county/67-dc481b6d-1999-463b-a7e8-d8919de37e95
Read more about harmful algal blooms from the National Ocean Service : https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/redtide.html
Read about how Dr. Brian LaPointe, of Florida Atlantic University, talks about the link between heavy rains/run off and harmful algal blooms :
Red tide linked to heavy rain, pollution runoff
What makes this year's red tide so extreme? An expert tells us.
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