Toxic algae killing fish in Florida can have disastrous effects on humans and animals: experts warn of respiratory problems and irritation caused by toxic ‘red tide’ on the coast
- The red tide – also known as Karenia brevis – has already begun to affect Florida
- This could affect Texas as it continues to rise from the Gulf of Mexico
- Harmful algae, which grows in salt water, creates toxins that can kill thousands of fish
- It can also cause respiratory and skin irritation in humans and can make animals sick if they ingest poisonous fish.
An eruption of toxic algae occurred along the way Florida coastline, which can have disastrous effects on humans and animals.
The red tide – also known as Karenia brevis – has already started to affect the coasts of Florida and could affect Texas as it continues to ascend from the Gulf of Mexico.
Harmful algae, which grows in salt water, creates toxins that can kill thousands of fish and cause respiratory disease in fish, dolphins, turtles, manatees and birds.
It can also irritate humans and pets by causing respiratory problems, such as coughing and sneezing, eye irritation, and skin conditions. It can also sicken pets that have infected a dead fish infected with the toxin.
Thousands of pounds of dead fish have been washed up on Florida shores (pictured). Harmful algae can also cause respiratory and skin irritation in humans and can make pets sick if they ingest poisonous fish.
A rising tide outbreak – also known as Karenia brevis – broke the Floridalines near St. Louis. St. Petersburg with several spots showing low to medium outbreaks and a few spots with high concentration
The Florida Department of Health is encouraging residents to avoid swimming at beaches that have detected a rising tide.
Over the weekend, St. Pete Beach — near St. Petersburg — cleaned up 1,500 pounds of dead fish from the beach, according to FoxNews.
On Friday, the shoreline of Pass-a-Grille — where St. Pete Beach is near — was covered in dead fish as beachgoers enjoyed their vacation weekend. Many were coughing, according to Fox13and beachgoer Sharon Greenfield used a scarf as a mask.
Despite the couching, Greenfield and his family “decided to resist, red tide or not”.
We love the beach pure and simple. Sun, sand and water…you can’t beat it,” she told Fox 13.
A satellite map of the outbreak shows most of the outbreak near St. Petersburg, with five spots showing a high concentration of rising tide. There are also several places that have a low to medium concentration near the area, depending on NOAA.
However, concentration areas can change from day to day “depending on winds and currents,” Pinellas County spokesman Tony Fabrizio told Fox News.
“We hope that the cold fronts and stronger winds that we will start to see as early as this weekend will eventually disperse the bloom, but of course there are no guarantees,” Fabrizio said.
The red tide didn’t stop sunbathers from enjoying their afternoon on Friday, with some wearing face masks to stop coughing
The outbreak began in October and appeared in Sarasota County and Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County, according to Fox 13.
The rising tide can last from several weeks to a year in Florida and can change the color of the water to red. It may also breed in some areas, according to NOAA.
Governor Ron DeSantis recently announced that he has allocated $14 million in the state budget for research into red tide and its impact on the community.
“Thanks to our investment, my administration has dedicated $40 million to fight red tide in our communities since 2019 – a record level of support!” he wrote on Twitter.
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