Red tide continues to occur along the Texas coast from Matagorda Bay to South Padre Island. Red tide is a high concentration (called a "bloom") of a microscopic algae known as Karenia brevis.
Three common signs of a red tide bloom are:
The fish caught in a red tide die because the algae produces a toxin that makes them unable to breathe. It's usually okay to eat fish, crabs and shrimp during a red tide bloom, but do NOT eat shellfish containing red tide toxins as you may become seriously ill. It's important to recognize that red tide has happened before, and the Texas marine environment has always recovered.
Breathing the air near red tides or swimming in red tides may cause irritation. The eye and throat irritation occurs most often when the red tide is in rough surf. There is little or no irritation when surf conditions are calm.
It's almost impossible to say exactly where the red tide is at any given moment, because blooms constantly move around due to winds and tides. But, the Red Tide Rangers, a dedicated volunteer group, monitor South Padre Island coastal waters for the presence of harmful algae blooms, including the red tide. They are trained to monitor coastal waters daily, checking for algae presence and amount, fish kills and other indicators, then reporting this information to state and federal agencies. Here's a shout out to these citizen scientists for keeping tabs on our coast!
To get the latest information on where red tide has been detected, check online. Red tide updates will also appear on the Facebook page for harmful algal blooms. You can also follow @TPWDNews on Twitter for updates.
Three common signs of a red tide bloom are:
- discolored water
- dead fish
- breathing difficulty in humans
The fish caught in a red tide die because the algae produces a toxin that makes them unable to breathe. It's usually okay to eat fish, crabs and shrimp during a red tide bloom, but do NOT eat shellfish containing red tide toxins as you may become seriously ill. It's important to recognize that red tide has happened before, and the Texas marine environment has always recovered.
Breathing the air near red tides or swimming in red tides may cause irritation. The eye and throat irritation occurs most often when the red tide is in rough surf. There is little or no irritation when surf conditions are calm.
It's almost impossible to say exactly where the red tide is at any given moment, because blooms constantly move around due to winds and tides. But, the Red Tide Rangers, a dedicated volunteer group, monitor South Padre Island coastal waters for the presence of harmful algae blooms, including the red tide. They are trained to monitor coastal waters daily, checking for algae presence and amount, fish kills and other indicators, then reporting this information to state and federal agencies. Here's a shout out to these citizen scientists for keeping tabs on our coast!
To get the latest information on where red tide has been detected, check online. Red tide updates will also appear on the Facebook page for harmful algal blooms. You can also follow @TPWDNews on Twitter for updates.
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