Featured Image Credit: FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
By Kira Krall
Phytoplankton are microscopic plants that can have a devastating effect on even the largest marine creatures. Large blooms of certain phytoplankton species can cause harmful algal blooms, also known as “red tides.” Different species cause different symptoms, like neurological damage, digestive issues, and even death, if they’re ingested in concentrated quantities.
Large fish kills can occur as a result of red tide. The belly-up fish often find their way into marinas and onto beaches.
While you usually can’t get any symptoms just from ingesting afflicted water, consuming filter feeders like oysters during a HAB can be deadly. Coastal aquariums, like Mote Marine Laboratory, dedicate research projects to understanding how harmful algae blooms occur and the best way to manage them. Currently, Mote is monitoring the red tide happening on the west coast of Florida.
Other facilities across the country like the University of Georgia Aquarium are part of NOAA’s Phytoplankton Monitoring Network. The network trains volunteers to take samples of water to check for the presence of different species that are known to cause HABs. Identifying the 26 harmful phytoplankton species is trickier than it sounds, especially since phytoplankton can be as small as 2 microns.
The volunteer group in the Chesapeake Bay collects their phytoplankton sample with a plankton net. Volunteers are also trained to take water quality parameters and to use microscopes.
These types of algae blooms are naturally occurring, so unfortunately there’s nothing anyone can do to make it go away. What monitors can do, however, is warn local governments about the potential for a HAB. That way, residents and visitors can be protected from the harmful side effects of consuming tainted seafood. And we can also make other plans to avoid smelling all the dead fish that tend to wash up on HAB-affected shores.
Want to join a phytoplankton monitoring volunteer crew? Check out this website and you can start.