Will Katrina flush the red tide?
 

First of all - -many prayers for all the Florida residents that Katrina will go away soon! But - Does anyone out there know if Hurricane winds and surf is likely to flush out the red tide for good? It seems like it's been around for a long time. We are going in November and hope it is long gone!

I have no idea why it would. Last year's four major storms and hurricanes in the Gulf didn't flush it out. Why would this one?

When we arrived in Indian Shores, Florida on June 19 this year, we were assured the Red Tide would be gone "within a day or so. It always is." It's August 28, and the problem is still there, as far as I know. There are no guarantees! Good luck, Dorgal. If you're going to worry about it a lot, I would change my plans to another destination without the possibility of this problem.

Could somebody please explain to me what is meant by red tide in Florida? In Massachusetts when we have red tide it is not detectable on the beach. It is just something that makes molluscs unsafe to eat until it has left the water. The clams don't die, they just are not edible until they have purged the red tide from their systems. Fish and lobsters are not affected.

But what I have seen on this message board leads me to believe that the red tide in Florida is something that makes the beach unpleasant, such as quantities of dead fish. Are these two different phenomena with the same name?

Yes- I have the same question as Nikki........I also live in Massachusetts. Does it smell? Our condo is on the beach - it has a pool we could swim in - but will it REALLY stink to sit there all day? Is the state of Florida doing anything about it? Is it caused by sewerage leaking?

Unfortunately, Katrina looks poised to flush lots more than red tide.
M

"Is the state of Florida doing anything about it?"

If you have a suggestion of how to end it, I'm sure the state of Florida would be happy to know about it.

It is an "algae bloom" that causes massive fish kills. Yes, it sometimes lingers offshore for a long time. And the air is filled with a "caustic" quality that makes many of us start coughing when we get within a block of the beach. Lots of dead fish and seaweed wash up on shore. Most communties with red tide will clean them up pretty quickly, but it is the air quality associated with red tide that really bothers most of us.

Is the state of Massachusetts doing anything about it? Is it caused by sewage there? :( Come on guys!

OO - Sorry to offend you!! I honestly didn't realize it was a "natural" thing that had no human solution. I always thought is was a result of unclean water - since most of our beaches here in MA are unclean to one degree or another. I just always thought when we had "red tide" it was just TOO unclean to eat shellfish or swim.
Sorry for my ignorance - I wasn't only trying to get information.

I never knew about redtide either until some families members moved to LongBoatKey. For someone in CA I sure know about the redtide now. If only there was someway to eliminate it!! I sure understand how most people in the US are not familar with the redtide.

California has had a red tide all summer too. It causes ear, eye and throat infections. It is a natural event, but it can bloom due to outside influances. The algae grows when exposed to phosphates and nitrates, two chemicals that are found fertalizers.

Hi viamar, where has California had the redtide? I have not heard of that. Thanks.

First of all, many prayers for all of those in the path of this horrific hurricane .

Since it is not even September yet, who knows when the red tides will be gone in November!

To educate yourselves on this subject, I suggest this site..it will answer a few of your questions .



http://www.surfrider.org/a-z/red_tide.asp

Red tide has been up and down the California coast all summer. It's been real bad in Orange County. The Monterey Bay area beaches were I live have been the color of beef broth, yuck, all summer. Another good website is www.redtidealert.com.
The surfrider website is a great one for educating yourself on the health of our oceans.

Hi Scarlett and viamar, thanks to both of you for the websites. I haven't heard of any redtide alert along the N Ca shore or along the Santa Barbara/Ventura coastline. Thanks again or the websites.

Dorgal, to my knowledge the Massachusetts variety of red tide is not caused by unclean beaches. The beaches on Cape Cod have been fine all summer, no different during the times of red tide than they are now that it has passed. You would have no way of knowing there was red tide if you didn't hear the news. It has never been too unclean to swim.

Cape Cod newspapers had articles earlier in the summer about people staying away because they had heard about the red tide, and about efforts to publicize the fact that the beaches are clean and the fish safe to eat. If the rest of the country has a sort of red tide that causes the sort of effects described by Patrick, I can see why that would keep them away. Sounds like a totally different phenomenon with the same nickname.

ttt
any new updates on red tide?

See these links:
http://www.whoi.edu/redtide/whathabs/whathabs.html
http://isurus.mote.org/~mhenry/rtupdate.phtml

Hi

Actually Massachusetts' red tide is not really a whole lot different than the variety in Florida. Here are some interesting articles from the scientists in Woods Hole.

The toxins produced by A. fundyense accumulate in filter-feeding shellfish such as clams, mussels and oysters making them unsafe for people and animals to eat. There is no risk to people who consume the flesh of fish, lobsters, and shrimp or who swim in the ocean. If eaten in enough quantity, these contaminated shellfish can result in illness or even death from a poisoning syndrome called paralytic shellfish poisoning, or PSP. No cases of death attributed to PSP have been reported in New England, although this syndrome is associated with fatalities elsewhere in the U.S. and the world. Thus far there have been no human illnesses associated with the 2005 bloom.

I think Katrina may flush some of the red tape eventually.

I've heard from my tenants at Treasure Island (whose son is an avid surfer) that for the first time in a long time -- it's GONE!!!!!!!!!!

How about it, Joan? Can you weigh in? Anybody else out there in Red Tide land heard this rumor???

Tandoori - I hope you are right! But - the maps on the Official FL Fish and Game site don't look promising. Sept. 2 report shows ALOT of red tide all in and around Sarasota- Clearwater - etc.
We still don't know if we should cancel our plans. I guess we could always drive south to Naples and hope to find a decent place last minute.

How about some input from all you folks online who know first hand what is going on? The Chamber of Commerce is certainly not going to tell us!

Living in Treasure Island, yesterday we went to the beach, which was gorgeous. No dead fish (freshly raked for the holiday weekend I'm sure), and the water was crystal clear. We swam and for the first time since January, I saw A SCHOOL OF FISH!!! Little babies to be sure, but I am very excited. Perhaps this is the beginning of a turnaround for our beloved Gulf - maybe even the silver lining from that b!tch Katrina???

However I did sneeze upon arriving at the beach, as did my husband....so we can't be sure, but the signs are good. I will keep posting if I see changes. Last week during the surfing frenzy from katrina, it was bizarre: there was excessive foam from the waves, and it was tan instead of white, and tickled the throat and nose. Apparently the foam lifts the red tide particles and disperses it into the air, which kills it. So ....maybe just maybe... good days ahead!

Folks, setting aside the screen name, this post is genuine. We care.
_____________________

Ok, so after donating to my charity of choice, I couldn't sit still. I wanted to go and offer help directly, but that wasn't feasable.

Instead, I have done the only thing I know I can do quickly and effectively...build a website!

I have created a Hurricane Family Help portal located at <b>http://www.hurricanefamilyhelp.org</b>

1st things 1st - we DO NOT accept donations.

Here is the stated purpose:

1) To unite displaced individuals and families of hurricane Katrina with others willing to offer immediate SHORT TERM shelter.

2) To unite displaced individuals and families of hurricane Katrina with others willing to offer LONG TERM shelter.

3) To unite the survivors with family and friends.

4) To find full or part time employment opportunities for hurricane victims.

5) To provide contact information for charities, communities, and churches offering assistance.

Thank you,
Craig

ttt
robson1 - here is the thread about red tide with links.

A current update from the shores of St Pete Beach, south end: Red Tide and dead fish are still here. I step outside my door and begin choking with my first breath. The smell of dead fish along the beach is pretty strong, but I would guess they will be raked up and cleared off soon. That isn't the big problem, however; the red tide persists and is a puzzle to everyone, including the ocean scientists.

A long answer to a short question now rather outdated: Katrina didn't flush out the red tide.

In the long term Katrina could make the red tide worse. Since red tide blooms when it comes in contact w/ phosphates, nitrates and other pollutants, it will have plenty of nasty run off to feed on. The water they are pumping out of NO will eventually make it to the Gulf. It will be an ecological disaster, but what choice do they have?

viamar wrote:
&quot;Since red tide blooms when it comes in contact w/ phosphates, nitrates and other pollutants&quot;

Not true at all. In fact I recently read that the concentration of red tide is actually nonexistent in two places in Tampa Bay that have nutrient runoff from phosphate plants. Scientists even experimented by introducing red tide into a sample of phosphate - and the phosphate killed the red tide.

This is from the Mote Marine website:
&quot;It is a natural phenomenon, apparently unrelated to manmade pollution.&quot;

See more:
http://isurus.mote.org/~mhenry/rtupdate.phtml

As awful as the &quot;toxic stew&quot; in NOLA is, and I agree the runoff will cause eco problems, red tide is apparently not one of them...

I give up - I cancelled my reservations and booked a week on the east coast. I couldn't take the stress of worrying about not being able to use the beach - the whole point of my trip. I can't believe all the stuff the different Chambers of Commerce sent me about Florida and the gulf coast and not ONE mention of Red Tide. I hope the word gets out to others before they waste their vacation money.

'dat you, Joe?