“People at the Emeryville Marina are concerned that the once blue water of the California coastline has now turned a murky brown red due to an algae bloom.” -- Star Schainker, 9th grade
This harmful algae bloom is sweeping the waters of the San Francisco Bay, and killing large numbers of fish that have washed ashore along the coastline. According to The New York Times, “while such algal blooms are not uncommon the scope and deadliness of the one in the Bay Area is concerning” Says Dr. Rosenfield. Even the hardiest of fish, like the sturgeon, an ancient creature, are dying, he said. Bat rays, striped bass, yellowfin gobies and even sharks are washing ashore dead.
This red tide discolors water to a rusty, brownish red, and while it has existed previously, is now accelerating due to farming, factories, sewage treatment plants and other sources are causing it to grow at a faster rate. As said by Monica Bruckner, Montana State University, another major cause for this spread is the warm ocean surface temperatures, low salinity, high nutrient content, calm seas, and rain followed by sunny days during the summer months.
As this red tide sweeps the bay some marinas are concerned, especially people who live on their boats who are seeing the effects of this algae first hand. Berry Spanier, a former biology student who lives at the Emeryville marina says “It's red which is indicative that it has taken over the entire water. The actual name of this algae is Heterosigma akashiwo and its there all the time in the water and all you need is to get all the conditions correct.” Spanier explains how the algae is getting out of control and consuming the oxygen in the water which is what is killing the fish. “I wouldn’t get in the water. It actually might be keeping stuff from growing on the bottom of the boat so maybe it's a positive from that perspective because it makes the water anaerobic and takes all the oxygen from the water,” he says.
There also has been a red alert from the Northeast Animal Hospital saying that red tide exposure can result in neurological and digestive symptoms in dogs that include tremors, seizures, stumbling, paralysis, vomiting, diarrhea, and drooling. Symptoms can develop within 30 minutes to one hour after exposure and must be treated quickly.
The fumes created by this red tide can also cause respiratory irritation. “It’s the worst algae bloom since 2018, when the ride tide killed an estimated 2,000 tons of marine life and caused millions of dollars in business losses” says Samantha-jo Roth from Spectrum News. A main concern for this algae bloom is how it affects people. The Ocean Service touches on that, The Harmful algal blooms, or HABs, occur when colonies of algae—simple plants that live in the sea and freshwater—grow out of control while producing toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, and birds. Human illnesses caused by HABs, though rare, can be debilitating and even fatal. People that see this first hand have their own opinions and thoughts on the matter.
“I’ve read a lot about it and I guess its not that uncommon in the bay to have this particular algae.” says Loren Lovegren, another liveaboard at the Emeryville Marina. Lovegren says it doesn’t affect him more that he lives at a marina but “this marina didn’t get it as bad as somewhere over in Alameda maybe. It has made the water ugly though, but I haven’t seen any dead fish.”
Similarly, another local, Bill Hersey says “I know very little about it but I know about algae blooms, I’ve dealt with them all my life.” Hersey says it does have a greater effect on him because he lives at a marina, “I've seen it affect the fish, and when it affects the fish it affects the birds and we’re in a bird sanctuary. So I think, we’re all connected and all nature’s connected so this is an intrusion and its portent of things to come and so I’m concerned about that.”
The red tide is a continuing issue that is being researched as it sweeps the coastline, but it’s yet to be known the exact toxicity of this specific algae bloom. Even though this algae is leaving certain areas of the coastline, it goes to question when scenarios like this will reappear. The Red Tide can have tragic effects on a much smaller scale, affecting the daily life of people such as Nuria, a 7 year old child who grew up at the marina.
“On really hot days, I can't go swimming because of it [the red tide].”
This red tide discolors water to a rusty, brownish red, and while it has existed previously, is now accelerating due to farming, factories, sewage treatment plants and other sources are causing it to grow at a faster rate. As said by Monica Bruckner, Montana State University, another major cause for this spread is the warm ocean surface temperatures, low salinity, high nutrient content, calm seas, and rain followed by sunny days during the summer months.
As this red tide sweeps the bay some marinas are concerned, especially people who live on their boats who are seeing the effects of this algae first hand. Berry Spanier, a former biology student who lives at the Emeryville marina says “It's red which is indicative that it has taken over the entire water. The actual name of this algae is Heterosigma akashiwo and its there all the time in the water and all you need is to get all the conditions correct.” Spanier explains how the algae is getting out of control and consuming the oxygen in the water which is what is killing the fish. “I wouldn’t get in the water. It actually might be keeping stuff from growing on the bottom of the boat so maybe it's a positive from that perspective because it makes the water anaerobic and takes all the oxygen from the water,” he says.
There also has been a red alert from the Northeast Animal Hospital saying that red tide exposure can result in neurological and digestive symptoms in dogs that include tremors, seizures, stumbling, paralysis, vomiting, diarrhea, and drooling. Symptoms can develop within 30 minutes to one hour after exposure and must be treated quickly.
The fumes created by this red tide can also cause respiratory irritation. “It’s the worst algae bloom since 2018, when the ride tide killed an estimated 2,000 tons of marine life and caused millions of dollars in business losses” says Samantha-jo Roth from Spectrum News. A main concern for this algae bloom is how it affects people. The Ocean Service touches on that, The Harmful algal blooms, or HABs, occur when colonies of algae—simple plants that live in the sea and freshwater—grow out of control while producing toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, and birds. Human illnesses caused by HABs, though rare, can be debilitating and even fatal. People that see this first hand have their own opinions and thoughts on the matter.
“I’ve read a lot about it and I guess its not that uncommon in the bay to have this particular algae.” says Loren Lovegren, another liveaboard at the Emeryville Marina. Lovegren says it doesn’t affect him more that he lives at a marina but “this marina didn’t get it as bad as somewhere over in Alameda maybe. It has made the water ugly though, but I haven’t seen any dead fish.”
Similarly, another local, Bill Hersey says “I know very little about it but I know about algae blooms, I’ve dealt with them all my life.” Hersey says it does have a greater effect on him because he lives at a marina, “I've seen it affect the fish, and when it affects the fish it affects the birds and we’re in a bird sanctuary. So I think, we’re all connected and all nature’s connected so this is an intrusion and its portent of things to come and so I’m concerned about that.”
The red tide is a continuing issue that is being researched as it sweeps the coastline, but it’s yet to be known the exact toxicity of this specific algae bloom. Even though this algae is leaving certain areas of the coastline, it goes to question when scenarios like this will reappear. The Red Tide can have tragic effects on a much smaller scale, affecting the daily life of people such as Nuria, a 7 year old child who grew up at the marina.
“On really hot days, I can't go swimming because of it [the red tide].”
