Toxic algae in Florida kill thousands of fish every day and make people sick

Albert Fernandez has been fishing in Florida for the rest of his life, but the usual crystal-clear water this year has turned into maroon-red, and it has been like this for several months.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons, public domain

This is due to toxic algae, whose concentration in water has reached a catastrophic scale, writes Fox News.

Rybak admitted that he had not gone to sea for several months.

Usually popular among tourists and locals, the Gulf of Mexico coast was ravaged by a ruthless red tide - thousands of fish, manatees, sea turtles and even a whale shark became victims of toxic algae, carrying their bodies to the coast of Florida.

Red tide - the common name for a particular case of blooming water caused by the outbreak of certain algae.

These plants, especially phytoplankton, single-celled, can form dense, visible stripes on the surface of the water. Some phytoplankton species, such as dinoflagellates, contain photosynthetic pigments whose color varies from green to brown and red. They create the impression that the water has a reddish color or even pink, hence the name of the phenomenon.

Red flushes in Florida are associated with the production of natural toxins that lead to oxygen depletion or other dangerous effects, and are generally described as harmful algal blooms. The most important effects of red tides are the death of marine and coastal species of fish, birds, marine mammals and other organisms associated with them.

Florida's red tides are especially dangerous for marine organisms because they produce the neurotoxin brevetoxin, the source of which is algae. Karenia brevis.

When marine inhabitants absorb the toxins secreted by algae, they affect their nervous system, and marine inhabitants lose their orientation and sink. Then their decaying bodies can destroy entire marine ecosystems because decomposition reduces the amount of oxygen in the water, killing other animals in the area or forcing them to migrate to another place.

In some cases, people are also at risk due to algae. Red tide can be fatal for people with asthma or other respiratory problems.

“The people who lived here for 20, 30, 40 for years, are considering selling their homes because of this. Flowering affects them physically. They get sick, ”Fernandez said. Toxic algae appear on the coasts of Florida almost every year, but there has not been such intensive flowering for decades.

“I went through some rather intense“ red tides ”, we have been living here 30 for years. 2006 had a particularly bad flowering year ... but it looks like it won't stop this year, ”said Lori Gaines, rental property manager in Florida.

Robert Weisberg, Professor of Physical Oceanology at the University of South Florida, said that it is impossible to predict when everything will stop, because this year you can still see the remnants of last year’s bloom, so the remnants of intensive flowering this year may still be felt.

The beaches around the coast are closed beaches, which leads to loss of tourism business.

Because of the red tide, Florida Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency in several districts of the state to help the regions fight growing blooms.

It is unclear how long the red tide will last this year. It usually takes place in the summer and fall, lasting for several months.

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