Ocean red: A “red tide”, also known as a harmful algal bloom, occurs when colonies of algae grow out of control. The mass of plant-like organisms produce toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine animals, and birds – and often turns the water red. –noaa.gov
You read it first in this week’s The Factory in Guide magazine.
Don’t you just love to go to the beach in the summer?!! I do! There’s nothing better than being at the beach when the sky is blue, the clouds are white, and the sun is warm! You can hear the powerful waves crashing onto the rocks, and the seagulls calling to each other. So relaxing!
But then you look at the water and suddenly it’s not so beautiful. All along the beach you see red water washing up on shore! And, not only water, but fish. Dead fish! And then the smell!! Terrible! What is going on? And then you see them! There are signs up every so often along the beach warning you about the Red Tide, and not to go near the beach or the water.
If you do not live near the ocean, you may not know about red tide. Red tide, simply put, happens when certain algae bloom in or near the water all at once in the right conditions. If there is nothing to compete with or hold back this algae, then it takes over. Red tide is an ecological phenomenon, also known as harmful algal bloom, or HAB.
Certain algae, phytoplankton and marine seaweed give off toxins that are harmful to the air as well as the water. And if enough of it blooms it can overwhelm the water areas killing the fish and poisoning the creatures that live there; creatures like shellfish, shrimp, mollusks and muscles. This is why you may want to think twice before having these items on your menu. Sadly, if people or birds eat these poisoned creatures, or breathe the toxic air, they can be in trouble, too!

However, not all algal blooms are harmful. In fact, most algae are good for the ocean ecosystem as they are at the base of the food web, feeding organisms from tiny animals called zooplankton to small fish that, in turn, support larger animals such as sharks, tunas and sea lions.
Once found primarily in the coastal waters of the United States and Europe, red tides have become a global problem. Some scientists think pollution may have a big part to play. Pollution can throw off the ecosystem enough for these blooms to happen and go unchecked by nature.
The next time you are at the beach, be sure to thank God for the beauty around you, and try to keep it cleaner than you found it so we will always have a healthy beach and ocean to enjoy.
"This great and wide sea, in which are innumerable teeming things, living things both small and great". Psalm 104:25
Scripture taken from the New King James Version, Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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