Toxic Red Tide Hits the Texas Coast. Here's How It Could Affect You.

A red tide bloom is developing along parts of the Texas coastline, prompting warnings from authorities about the dangers to animals and humans. Here is what you need to know.

Red Tide Blooms Impacting Some Texas Beaches

You might want to think twice about heading to the beach in Texas. Local officials are warning that a toxic red tide bloom could trigger respiratory issues in humans. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, fish kills have been observed in a zone from Crystal Beach and Bolivar Peninsula south to the northern jetty at Boliver Roads.

The department is also monitoring an area of concern from southern Galveston Island from the south jetty for about 12 miles. This includes the popular area of Steward Beach and Pleasure Island Pier. In addition to keeping tabs on the fish kills, officials are also taking water samples in an effort to identify the microscopic algae.

Biologists with the agency began fielding reports of the red tide bloom sightings off the coast of Galveston on September 8. The subsequent water samples showed moderate to high concentrations of red tide cells. Beach visitors have reported mild to severe respiratory irritation blamed on the bloom.

The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Sciences is warning that beachgoers may face a moderate to high risk of respiratory infection over the next few days. This is because the irritation tends to ramp up when winds are blowing onshore rather than offshore.

About Red Tide Blooms

The red tide blooms are full of the microscopic algae known as Kerenia brevis. This algae generates brevetoxin, a dangerous toxin that impacts the central nervous systems and breathing patterns of fish. This explains why dead fish are one of the first indicators of the presence of the algae.  

Officials have confirmed that the majority of the fish that have died are striped mullet and Gulf menhaden. However, the algae has killed other types of fish in lesser quantities.

The red tide algae presents as discolored areas of ocean water that are often red in color. The toxicity can also be passed to people through a transmission known as neurotoxic shellfish poisoning (NSP). This happens if people eat scallops, clams, oysters, and mussels that have fed on this specific type of toxic algae.

Symptoms of NSP typically come on quickly, within roughly three hours of eating the contaminated molluscan shellfish. Primary symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.

The surge of the red tide blooms does not mean that you need to give up your favorite shellfish. Legally available shellfish from stores and restaurants should be safe to consume because they were harvested from areas deemed free of the bloom. However, you should never eat fish or shellfish that came ashore sick or dead.

For now, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Kills and Spills Team will continue to monitor the safety of the water.

Weather changes fast, so help your community stay prepared. Share this story with friends, family, or your group chat, and keep your forecast in the now with Weather Forecast Now.