The Lower Laguna Madre and the lower Texas coast are being watched for a red tide event by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in collaboration with other organizations.
On Sunday, September 3, at a red sea tracking place close to Freeport, the presence of white flood on the top coast was confirmed. Near Freeport and the Texas City Dike, small to average concentrations of red sea have been found. Fish deaths at San Luis Pass, Surfside Beach, and the Quintana / Freeport Channel are thought to have been brought on by the bloom.
Water samples from Good Hope Circle Beach and the Gulf Beach in Cameron County have revealed small crimson tide concentrations in the Lower Laguna Madre.
The naturally occurring microalgae that cause red tide ( Karenia brevis ) produce a toxin that affects fish’s central nervous system, paralyzing them and impairing their ability to breathe. Dark sea blooms frequently cause dead fish to wash up on Gulf beaches as a result. Dark tide algae are noticeable as discolored patches of water that are frequently reddish in color when they reproduce in large quantities or” flower.”
The upper and middle Texas coasts experienced crimson flood for the last time in 2018.
When the tide is dark, people who are close to the water may experience discomfort in their eyes, nose, and neck, as well as coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. These symptoms may be more severe in those who already have a respiratory condition, such as pneumonia. Consult a doctor if you have any worries or concerns about the purple tide’s effects on human health or any symptoms you are experiencing.
On the TPWD Red Tide website or by dialing the red tide status hotline at( 800 ) 792 – 1112( select” fishing” and then” red tide”), you can find up-to-date information on Texas’s current situation as well as background data on how it affects both people and fish. On the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science site, you can also find satellite images of the algae bloom.
