A hazardous algal bloom that is impacting San Francisco Bay has caused thousands of dead fish to accumulate along the beaches of Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, creating an overwhelming odour.
Many different kinds of birds and fish call Lake Merritt, the oldest wildlife refuge in North America, home, but it’s thought that the out-of-control algal bloom that results in a “red tide” and a bad stench may be developing as a direct consequence of climate change and rising water temperatures.
Numerous fish species, including as topsmelt, bass, and bat rays, have been accumulating on the coasts; one estimate is that as of Monday afternoon, there may have been as many as 10,000 dead fish.
According to James Robinson, executive director of the Lake Merritt Institute, “I have never seen this lot of fish dead from the red tide before.”
It’s really suspicious, Robinson continued. It’s not overpowering right now, but it is rather strong.
It could have an impact on the local food chain. Many of the birds and other creatures that inhabit the lake rely on the organic matter and marine life there, he said.
A microbe known as Heterosigma akashiwo, which abruptly started growing in July and has now completely covered the Bay, is the source of the red algal bloom.
Following the discovery of “low levels of pollutants linked with dangerous algal bloom” by Oakland municipal authorities, people are being encouraged to keep both pets and kids out of the water.
Some people reportedly use face masks outdoors to protect their noses because the smell of decaying fish is so bad.
Simine Yahaghi, a resident of the lakeshore, told the Chronicle that it smelled awful.
More than that, it’s saddening to see so many dead fish. It resembles a bloodbath.
Yahaghi, who has lived beside the lake for 19 years, said that this is the first time it has smelled this awful. She thinks that local officials must act quickly to remedy the issue.
You see all this progress, it’s great, but why don’t you give this any thought? What action is the city taking?
Another local, Oakland resident Jeanine Jensen, describes the fish piles as a “startling” warning of climate change just outside her door.
This is happening immediately in front of me, unlike when I see pictures of icebergs melting. It’s frightening.
According to the California Department of Public Health, red tides on the lake are not unheard of and often happen between February and March as well as in the late summer months of August and September.
An algal bloom is what?
A sudden rise in the population of algae in an aquatic environment is known as an algal bloom.
Both freshwater and marine habitats are susceptible to the phenomena, which may stain the water and render it bright yellow, red, or green.
Some algal blooms are the consequence of nutrient surpluses that fuel the development of algae and other green plants.
Other plants die and provide food for bacteria as more algae grows.
With more food readily accessible, the bacteria multiply and deplete the water’s dissolved oxygen.
A dead zone results from a drop in oxygen level because many fish and aquatic insects cannot live.
Neurotoxins are also produced by several species of algae.
These poisons may have negative biological effects on animals at the high cell densities attained during certain blooms.
Phytoplankton-based algal blooms that naturally create biotoxins.
Scientists prefer to refer to these blooms as harmful algal blooms, or HABs, even though many people refer to them as “red tides.”