Red Tide is an algal bloom that can cause discoloration to the water and is harmful to marine and wildlife. The first verified case of Red Tide in Florida was in 1844 off the Gulf Coast. The alga that causes the red tide is called Karenia brevis (K. brevis), and the length of any bloom that occurs is dependent on physical and biological issues. For example, pollutants encourage the growth and warm Florida waters can help the bloom significantly.
Red tide can last anywhere from a few weeks to longer than a year and it needs a steady flow of nutrients to continue the bloom. Having tropical storms pull it off shore can be beneficial because when it gets cut off from sustainers, it can end itself. The southwest coast of Florida (Tampa Bay) has been dealing with the Red Tide since October 2017. This has caused a decrease in tourism, an increase in residential illnesses and use of medical resources/hospital stays, and a decline in seafood consumption. The effects of the harmful bacteria can be dangerous not only for the economy but for a person’s health, especially if they suffer from respiratory issues such as asthma.
It has been reported that the Red Tide went South in the Gulf and down to the tip of Florida where it slowly started to move up the East Coast. It wasn’t set that it would even make it as for north to our own Brevard County shoreline, but as Hurricane Michael made its way across the state in the particular path it did, the Red Tide got pulled up in the Gulf Stream and moved a lot quicker than anticipated through the warm water.
Dead fish began to wash ashore
On October 19th, 2018 dead fish began to wash ashore in the Cocoa Beach area a mile north and a mile south of Lori Wilson Park. With our beach ATV’s stocked with masks, bags, and gloves, volunteers and staff headed out to do some major clean-up. Rain pelted down but that didn’t stop our amazing volunteers who did as much as they could all day.Finally, at noon on October 20th we ceased our efforts, as almost every single fish had been removed!
We thought we were in the clear, but unfortunately only four days later saw a massive amount of dead fish wash up on the Southern beaches of Brevard County. We had dumpsters, provided by Waste Management and the county, set up at several locations ready for the collections. Our beach crews were all hands on deck for the next week and a half while we removed as much as we could, and we wouldn’t have gotten anywhere if it weren’t for the volunteers who worked tirelessly to help Keep Brevard Beautiful. When November 3rd finally came around to show us a cleaner beach, we were incredibly relieved and thankful for all the support we received!
We can’t thank our volunteers enough
We collected well over 100,000 lbs of dead fish over the 2 weeks we were dealing with the Red Tide consequences, and we hope that we won’t have to in the future. KBB appreciates all the help and support from the county and community. We can’t thank our volunteers enough for lending us their time and strength for this tough job!
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