Red Tide

Anybody know what this is? A few of you might. I assure you I had no idea until we arrived in South Padre in late October. I have learned it is not unique to Texas. Apparently, this phenomena surfaces on many coastlines. And the name is not unique to being Red - it can be also be Golden or Brown. Any photos I’ve seen have been taken from the air. What I can do is pull together my best description based on what I’ve heard and read over the past month.

First of all, it’s a natural organism – not something created by humans. Individually, it’s called Karenia brevis, a microscopic algae, a bacteria. And, when the algae cluster in denser concentrations, it is called "Red Tide". The algae produces a toxin that paralyses fish and affects their central nervous system - essentially, they stop breathing. So, where there are large concentrations of the algae along the coastline, dead fish are similarly strewn along the beach. If you could get into an airplane and fly along that coastline, you would be able to see the concentration from the air.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) monitors the bacteria levels each day from Galveston (near Houston) south to the tip of South Padre where we are located – about 500 miles of coastline. They post the test results on the web and report on where the patches are isolated. There is certainly an impact on the oyster industry since the harvesting of oysters peaks at this time of year through to Christmas. Needless to say, the extent of our oyster dining (so far this season) has been non-existent and will stay that way until we get the OK from TPWD. They also warn you to keep your vehicles off the beach so the fish spines don’t puncture your tires!

Just to give you a visual sense of what I’ve been trying to describe, here’s a picture taken by TPWD photographer Chase Fountain on October 28/09. This is actually the south end of South Padre Island. The photo was taken from over the Gulf and, in the distance, you can see the Causeway over to Port Isabel and the mainland. You should be able to see the discolouration in the water as it parallels the beach:


Imagine me about 10 days ago walking onto the beach (near those twin towers you see in that photo). Between me and the surf were fish (about 8-10 inches long) strewn every 4-5 feet in a path all the way to the water. When I looked up and down the beach, I saw fish strewn in this manner for as far as I could see. And, standing beside each fish was a seagull poking on occasion at their particular specimen wondering why it didn’t taste good. The seagulls were not eating the fish – they just stood there squawking to each other about what the problem could possibly be!

Based on what I had read, I realized the Red Tide was ‘in” and retreated directly to the street. I knew that, within seconds, I would be feeling major irritation in my throat and, to a lesser degree, in my eyes. That’s how the Red Tide impacts humans - it makes you cough relentlessly and makes your eyes water. What made it really bad that day and the few days that followed was the surf. We experienced the remnants of Hurricane Ida and, combined with a full moon, the surf was very rough. When this happens, the algae become airborne in the salt spray.

Once the wind changed and the tide calmed down, so did the irritation. The City workers have since cleaned the beaches and the hotels (big and small) have cleared the beach frontages. The reports today said there is only ‘some’ evidence of Red Tide in the areas around the Brownsville Channel and the man-made jetties. The University of Texas has a Coastal Studies Lab in the County Park next to us. They say the marine environment always recovers from Red Tide.

I’m thrilled about this news – ‘cause there is nothing better than walking the beach in the early morning and watching that sun come up for the day!