Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumMississippi Beaches Have Been Vacant For Two Months As A Toxic Algae Bloom Lurks Offshore
Huffington Post
ENVIRONMENT 09/08/2019 06:00 am ET
By Rocky Kistner
...this year, a new threat has emerged: an explosion of blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, that has shut down virtually all of Mississippis beaches since July 4. No one knows when the algae will disappear, and many wonder how many businesses that operate in the region will survive the hit.
Scientists have never seen anything like this before in the ocean offs Mississippi coast ― blue-green algal blooms are normally confined to fresh-water species. Mississippi officials say the bloom is the result of record flooding this year in the Midwest, which has pushed a deluge of polluted, nitrogen-rich water down the Mississippi River. It has forced state officials to issue water and health advisories warning people to stay out of the water and to avoid contaminated seafood.
Mississippi shrimp, crab and finfish catches are all down this year, according to state officials. Fishermen say the ocean is just as deserted as the beaches, as many boat captains want to avoid burning fuel while getting nothing in return. Some described spotting dead sea turtles lined up on the barrier islands, and running through unusual masses of dead fish and hyacinth grass floating in the water.
Ive never seen this before, said Tommy OBrien, a fisherman from Pascagoula, Mississippi. A recent nine-day trip brought in red snapper catch worth less than $8,000, he said, which is a quarter of what he usually gets. When the blue-green algae die, there will be another fish kill, he said. The in-shore fish could take years to recover.
Ryan Bradley, executive director of Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United, said its a dire situation in the Gulf. After several decades of disasters, this one may be the worst because no one knows when the algal bloom will end, he said.
More here
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/algae-mississippi-gulf-of-mexico_n_5d715cc6e4b03b3b730a914a
hatrack
(59,578 posts)If only there were some sort of scientific explanation for why the sea is so much hotter, and supporting so much algae!!!
Delphinus
(11,825 posts)of this going on in Mississippi. My husband told me just the other day it was found on the coast of Brittany.
Vogon_Glory
(9,109 posts)And I bet right-Wing coastal Mississippians never thought that thered be a price for it and that theyd have to pay it.
As more and more mom-and-pop beach businesses shutter and more and more fishing boats idled, the dirge starts with MAGA! MAGA! MAGA!