This article describes a recent release by the scientists of the NOAA-funded Gulf of Maine Toxicity project. They issued an outlook for a huge regional bloom of red tide along the northeastern coast.
The toxic algae Alexandrium fundyense swims through the water and divide multiple times until they “bloom”. Those organisms that do not bloom become cysts that lie dormant in the ocean bottom. A cyst survey conducted late in 2009 revealed the highest amount of cysts the NOAA team had ever collected, up 60% from the prior historic high of red tide in 2005.
In order to protect public health, the shellfish beds are closed during blooms. The 2010 bloom is expected to reach from the Gulf of Maine down towards the waters near Massachusetts. Since the bloom is projected to be so large, it is a huge potential threat to the New England shellfish industry.
Are there any ways to slow the spread of red tide?
Are there any other areas that are expecting record red tide blooms?
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