Red Tide Bloom Strikes
Off Florida Coast
August 17, 2005 — By Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. — An unusually fierce red
tide bloom this summer has choked off oxygen and killed undersea life in
a region of the Gulf of Mexico bottom about 10 miles off the coast of
Florida, scientists said.
Red tide is formed when a microscopic algae reproduces at an explosive
rate. The algae produces a neurotoxin that can paralyze or make
breathing difficult for fish, manatees or even humans that inhale or
ingest it.
During a three-day expedition last week, researchers from the state's
Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and the University of South Florida
sampled 28 spots from the mouth of Tampa Bay north to Pasco County, on
the north side of the Tampa metropolitan area, and from along the shore
out to 30 miles offshore. Preliminary results of the research were
reported Monday.
However, some spots where divers had reported no life during earlier
investigations are starting to see fish return, institute spokesman
Jeremy Lake said.
"Some of them are starting to heal," he said.
Source: Associated Press |