Environmentalists in Florida are calling on the governor, Ron DeSantis, to declare an emergency as a worsening “red tide” algae bloom off the state’s south-west coast threatens popular tourist beaches and is being blamed for the deaths of wildlife including fish and dolphins.
The Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC) has been monitoring a sizable patch of red tide, a naturally occurring phenomenon caused by overproduction of the harmful algae Karenia brevis, along a stretch of the Gulf coast.
The group has previously linked human activity, including toxic run-off from agricultural production, as an aggravating factor in the intensification of red tide events.
“We have a lot of them in the state of Florida, and it’s non-point source pollution, so it’s difficult to tackle.
We have improved communication tools, like creating a series of educational red tide animated videos,” a FWC spokesperson, Jonathan Veach, said in a statement.
Veach added: “Thus far, while recognizing the current intensification, this red tide bloom is still fairly typical in terms of timing, intensity and location.”.
Kuchta added that DeSantis had also approved funding for innovative technologies that can be “deployed immediately to protect water quality and public health from future harmful algal blooms, including red tide response”. »
