Red Tide

Ah, 2022 and another summer is upon us. Won’t be long now that the cooler weather we have now will bring extremely hot temperatures and much needed rain.

In a way, that’s a good thing. Grasses, trees, flowers, and fruits and vegetables will flourish. While the sun will be much warmer, the rain when it arrives will cool things down a bit – so it’s sort of a solution where everyone benefits.

The bad part of our summer weather is that if often springs off hurricanes. Some can be so mild that the winds are, to put it as it was once said to me, “just enough wind to muss your hair!” Other times, the winds will be strong enough to knock over your lanai furniture. Those winds that blow from the Atlantic can easily turn into full-blown hurricanes. Which in some cases, is still a good thing.

K. brevis a/k/a red tide generally blooms in the early spring or early fall of each year, and although found just about all over the world, it’s still most commonly found off the southwest coast of Florida. Red tide is caused by the rapid growth of a microscopic algae called Karenia brevis. However, chemicals from farming, factories, and sewage can dissolve in the soil and “run off” into the ocean and gulfs causing the algae to grow at a much faster rate leading to red tide. Ergo, the more populated the area, the more likely the growth will be larger.

Take August of 2008 (at least I think it was that year), for instance.

Satellites picked up an image in the Arabian Gulf that had the scientists scratching their heads. What was it? Where did it come from? One day it wasn’t there, the next it was! Whatever it was, it was lying flat on the water following the movement of the tide. A week later it was gone! Gone without a trace. Why? Where did it go?

After a full examination, it was discovered that an extensive algae bloom was large enough to be seen by satellite until two days later, when a hurricane blew through the region and decimated the bloom.

Now, let’s talk about red tide and August of 2004.

We, here in Punta Gorda, Florida had the same occurrence with the red tide – but hurricane Charley blew the red tide away. Or as the saying goes, it was “gone with the wind”!

No one knows how long a red tide bloom will last. It might hang around for a few weeks but then it might be here for many months. On rare occasions, it can last close to a year. The only thing for certain is that the larger the bloom, the more devastating it is to the marine population. The algae, in substantial amounts can kill dolphins, turtles, marine birds, manatees and fish. It also affects invertebrates, sea sponges, sea urchins, crabs, other shellfish including shrimp.

What the red tide does is rob the water beneath it of much needed oxygen that the fish need to live. The denser the algae, the less oxygen. The less oxygen, the more fish die.

The fish begin to swim erratically, as if drugged, then become paralyzed and quickly die only to have their carcasses float on the water giving off more bacteria and the most horrific odor – both of which are harmful to humans. Those with respiratory illnesses are always advised to stay inside as much as possible.

It was reported that in one year, emphasis on ONE YEAR, the red tide bloom killed 1,700 TONS of sea life in only one county in Florida. Only ONE county!!

It was also reported that more than six hundred tons of dead fish were removed from various waterways in southwest Florida in July of 2021! THINK ABOUT THAT: SIX HUNDRED TONS OF DEAD FISH!! And there isn’t a thing we can do about it.

I can tell you personally that my eyes and throat begin to burn, and breathing is difficult. I cough constantly when I’m outside. Anyone who dares to venture outside will usually wear some kind of covering over their noses and mouths. I’ve seen many people wearing water goggles to try and prevent the burning in their eyes.

There have been years where we would wish for a mild hurricane to blow the red tide from our shores, but remembering Charley, we are also hesitant thinking that “you get what you wish for” and no one wants to experience another Charley.

My only suggestion to attempt to keep K. brevis to a minimum is watch what you put in the ground. Be aware of your “run off.” Don’t dump chemicals on your lawn or in the water. If you own a large boat, don’t dump your “waste” into the water. Go to a pump-out station for a sanitary cleaning. Encourage your county legislature to make it mandatory to find a better way to destroy their unwanted chemical waste.

If we’re not careful of how we protect our waters now, there won’t be any fish for the future. Birds will have nothing to eat so the bird population will drop off. And the cycle doesn’t end there.

If none of this makes sense to you, just research red tide and look up the statistics. They aren’t pretty.

One year, the fishing club to which I belong, joined forces with the city of Punta Gorda and other volunteers, which numbered close to one hundred. Their goal was to do their best to rid our canals of the dead fish the red tide produced. After two days, they picked up six hundred pounds of dead, rotting fish. Every person who volunteered coughed for months afterwards and many needed medical treatment. We all wore protective gear, gloves, face mases – but the bacteria between the red tide and rotting fish was more than our gear could handle.

While we weren't happy with the hurricane of that year, at least it blew away the red tide and that made our breathing less arduous.

I’ll raise a glass to Florida and its unpredictability.

I’ll go outside, sit on my lanai, toast the cooler yet sunny weather, and wait to see what this summer brings.

One thing I can say for sure is that it will definitely be interesting.

The photo you see with this story is just one small inner canal. I never did get to the harbor for a photo.