Padra Island red tide update #2

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index.php?smp=&lang=eng


Texas

The red tide is not only at Padre Island National Seashore but is also being detected north of Corpus Christi. The red algae bloom was first spotted last week down along South Padre Island. Over the weekend, it moved north, showing up along Padre Island National Seashore, and it's now being reported from Bob Hall Pier north to Mustang Island. A team from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department spent the day monitoring the red tide from the ground, while the Coast Guard has been tracking it from the sky. In addition to documenting the bloom's movement, they've also been assessing its impact on marine life. So far, most of its victims have been mullet, Ladyfish, eels and some speckled trout. At Bob Hall Pier, conditions got so bad some people were actually advised to get out of the water. A marine biologist at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Wednesday afternoon has been watching the movement of red tide. Unfortunately, he's predicting it appears the red tide is moving toward Corpus Christi Bay. There was the scent of dead fish at Bob Hall Pier Wednesday. Many of the fish washed ashore Wednesday - all victims of the red tide.

The symptoms of coughing, runny nose and burning eyes were so bad out there some people had to leave. The dead fish definitely outnumbered the visitors at Bob Hall Pier. Davina Thackwell and her two young children wanted to spend the day playing in the waves, but instead they packed everything up and went back home. Everything changed when a park ranger came up to her. "So, the guy came up and told us it was red tide and he's only six-months-old and I don't want him to get sick or anything. I was going to let him go in the water, but he said no, not good, so we're going home, he's sad about it," Thackwell said. Beach officials said young children, the elderly, people with respiratory illnesses and pets should stay clear from areas with red tide. However, others were willing to take their chances. A couple visiting from Vancouver, British Columbia almost had the whole beach to themselves.

"We're going to have the Olympics next February so we're just going to get a little sun for that," Gary Johnstone, of Vancouver, said. Packery Channel is also experiencing the same problem with red tide. Jay Jones lives on North Padre Island and he said nearby residents are also being smothered with red tide. "I have changed the A/C filter because it's all blowing that way for everybody that lives on the Island," Jones said. So, the red tide may be chasing people away. However, beach officials are hopeful. A cold front is expected this weekend and will help to turn things around. Once the red tide is gone, the county is still going to have to deal with the problem of thousands of dead fish. Park rangers said they'll wait to see if the red tide dies down over the weekend. Then, on Monday they may be cleaning up some of the mess there. The plan is to bring in some front end loaders and start scooping up the dead fish. While it sounds simple enough, it will be a delicate operation. Clean-up crews will have to be careful not to dig into the sand too deeply. Park officials said there are a lot of critters that live underneath the sand and they don't want to disturb their habitat too much.
--------------------------------------


tick