NOAA has been using some new technologies to predict future red tides. Off the coast of Maine, it appears that they will have the worst red tide ever this summer. New Hampshire is included in this gloomy forecast.
The projection is based on a sea-floor survey of the seed-like cysts of Alexandrium fundyense, (which is different than the K. Brevis red tide we get here in Fl, but just as devastating), an organism that causes the harmful algal blooms that are referred to as red tides. Cysts deposited in the fall hatch the following spring, and last fall the abundance of cysts in the sediment was 60 percent higher than observed prior to the historic bloom of 2005, indicating that a large bloom is likely in the spring of 2010.
The Scientists are so alarmed that they held a teleconference for the media in addition to their normal outlook report. Sadly the local oyster farmers seem to be in denial and even seem to be trying to blame the scientists. Saying things like “It’s so unlikely, We certainly don’t lose any sleep about it or worry much about it.” and that the last red tide closure that Duxbury oyster farmers faced was in 2005, when the state’s shellfish industry grappled with the worst red tide bloom in recent memory. Well guys, this one is supposed to be even worse so get worried. Not that there is anything to do about it.
The scientists may not be to blame, but the people that pay them certainly are. The valuable research dollars they spent on technology to predict these red tide blooms was wasted. Everyone already knew there would be a red tide there. Everyone knows what is causing it (rainwater runoff that’s polluted with fertilizers), the only thing they should be study is how to prevent it and and how to mitigate it once it occurs. Even super conservative Florida is now slowly coming around to this realization.

Here’s an experimental map I made that shows the general area they are speaking off:

This is a guest post form the folks at Nugali.  They propose a Red Tide mitigation method.  Read on:

Red Tides, Diatom Algae and Nualgi

Fish kills, Dead Zones and Red Tides are some of the problems being seen in waters the world over.

A large number of fish kills have been reported all over the US this year, there are about 400 dead zones in oceans all over the world and red tides are reported along the coasts of Florida, Texas, Maine, etc.

All these problems have a common cause and therefore a common solution.

There are various groups of algae –

Cyanobacteria or Blue Green Algae,

Dinoflagalletes or Red Tides,

Green Algae and

Diatom Algae.

Are all algae equally bad or are they harmful only when they bloom or only under specific circumstances?

Red tides are the most harmful since they are toxic to fish and cause health problems in humans.

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Red tide activity is on the increase in the Gulf of Mexico. The red tide bloom in Texas stretches as far as 200 miles off shore. There’s a large fish kill involved there. Florida also has a large fish kill from a red tide bloom. It’s right off the coast of Sanibel Island and a smaller fish kill is already effecting it’s beaches.
The red tide there is strengthening and enlarging although it’s unknown how far off shore it stretches.

Read the latest Red Tide Report.

2 major red tide blooms are cause for great concern in along the west coast of Florida.

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The red tide bloom in Texas is getting stronger.
There’s a fish kill or two in the Mustang island area (which on the northern end of South Padre Island, just south of Port Aransas.  The main fish kill goes from just inside the inlet to a mile offshore according to the  Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and various press sources.

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