[Paddlewise] Red tide in North Florida

Hi guys, further to the question that came up a few months ago,
apparently aerosol brevetoxins can be a concern to kayakers; the following
was just posted in proMED:

Source:  Tampa Bay Online, 24 Sep 1999
<http://www.tampabayonline.net/news/flor100a.htm>

Coughing and red eyes experienced by beachgoers in northeastern Florida
are the result of small amounts of the algae that causes red tide, health
officials said. Only a handful of red tides have been reported on
Florida's east coast over the years, although they are fairly common in
the Gulf of Mexico.

Concentrations of the micro-organism, _Gymnodinium breve_, were low enough
that they probably will not kill fish but could easily irritate people's
breathing, said Beverly Roberts, a research administrator with the Florida
Marine Institute in St. Petersburg.

Wind coming off the ocean carries toxins from the micro-organisms and can
affect people walking or jogging on the beach.

The Duval County Health Department has advised people with breathing
problems to avoid the beaches between Mayport and the Guana River State
Park in St. Johns County.

In the Panhandle, red tide outbreak is suspected in a fish kill along
beaches and protected waters in the Fort Walton Beach-Destin area.

Dave Szlarski said he awoke Wednesday to find hundreds, perhaps thousands,
of dead fish outside his barrier island home across Santa Rosa Sound from
Fort Walton Beach.

About 90 percent of the fish were large adult mullet and the rest a mix of
small fish including white grunt, pinfish, sea catfish, croaker and
pigfish.



Elaine Harmon - eilidh_at_dc.seflin.org - eharmon_at_cs.miami.edu

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