What is the Red Tide in Tampa, Florida, USA?
Travel is more than exploring and a new place. I like to see how the locals live on a day to day basis. Kinda like a fly on the wall kinda observer. Actually, more like the social scientist that I am.
My friend and I went to one of her favorite local beaches in Sarasota, FL. It’s one of those beaches for the retirement community, not the wild spring break crowds.
As soon as our feet hit the sand, a noticeable fishy smell simultaneously hit our noses. The red tide left a horizontal line of dead fish along the shore/water line that looked like it stretched down the entire beach on both ends.
This was my first time experience this phenomenon, so my inner marine biologist and social scientist woke up and was very curious. After some researching, I found some astounding facts. Below are websites, new articles, and YouTube videos about the Red Tide.
In the Tampa Bay Area*, residents have been subjected to the red tide for many years. It’s 2023 and the red tide phenomenon is still a threat in Flordia.
* Tampa Bay Area as defined by the US government, however below I link the indigenous land’s name.
Find out who's native land you're occupying
What is red tide?
Flordia Guide Book - March 2023
“Many people say that red tide is naturally occurring. This is only partly true.
Fire is natural. Arson is not natural.
This message that “Red Tide is natural ” is often repeated by politicians, special interest groups and industrial polluters who want to avoid blame for water pollution.
It is true that Karenia brevis, the organism which causes Red Tide, is a naturally occurring organism.
Red tide usually lives 10-40 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. It usually exists in small numbers which do not cause harm.
However, modern red tide outbreaks should not be thought of as “natural”. Why? because they are directly fueled by water pollution, which humans cause.
Large-scale water pollution makes red tide much worse than it would ever “naturally” be.”
What causes red tide?
The cause of red tides is still under investigation, but it is thought to be due to a combination of factors, including nutrient pollution, climate change, and overfishing.
“Sam Johnston, an engineer with over four decades of public service, said some of the blame also lies with stormwater treatment facilities that are permitted with no required monitoring of their discharge.”
What are the effects of red tide?
The effects of red tides can be devastating. The blooms can kill millions of fish and other marine life, and can also cause respiratory problems in humans. Red tides can also damage the state's economy, as they can lead to a decline in tourism and fishing.
In 2021, “ A large outbreak of highly toxic algae or “red tide” continues to impact Gulf Coast communities in Southwest Florida, resulting in the deaths of over 1,500 tons of marine life and fish, including manatees, goliath groupers, dolphins and endangered sea turtles along St. Petersburg and Pinellas County beaches.”
“Red tide can result in varying levels of eye and respiratory irritation for people, which may be more severe for those with preexisting respiratory conditions (such as asthma). The blooms can also cause large fish kills and discolored water along the coast.”
“The first thing you notice is the smell. It’s not a scent, exactly, but a tingling in the nose that quickly spreads to the throat and burns the lungs. But then you see the carcasses.
Most are fish—mullet fish, catfish, pufferfish, snook, trout, grunt, and even the massive goliath grouper. But other creatures are also washing ashore—crabs, eels, manatees, dolphins, turtles, and more. It's a wildlife massacre of massive proportions. And the cause of both the deaths and toxic, stinging fumes is a bloom of harmful algae that scientists say is the region’s worst in over a decade.”
What can be done to prevent red tides?
Some say that there is nothing we can do about this ‘natural phenomenon, but….
West central Florida’s NPR station public media
“"Where's the piece that talks about how we have all of these existing policies and laws that are designed to keep nutrient pollution out of our water, and how those might be performing in light of all of the red tide that we've been experiencing?" she asked.”
What can be done to help communities affected by red tides?
There are a number of things that can be done to help communities affected by red tides. These include providing financial assistance to businesses that have been affected, providing medical care to people who have been affected, and working to restore the environment that has been damaged.
What can I do to help?
There are a number of things that individuals can do to help. These include reducing nutrient pollution, protecting coastal ecosystems, and calling/email/write to local and state officials demanding better solutions and more funding for research into current industries and policy evaulations. You can also donate to organizations that are working to help communities affected by red tides.
For more information:
YouTube Videos to Watch about the Red Tide:
10 Tampa Bay - "Scientists say Florida has the Solution to Red Tide"
