Question: How do red tides and other harmful algae blooms affect birds and marine mammals?
Answer: Algae and phytoplankton are part of the food chain. As they are consumed, they accumulate in the bodies of the creatures that eat them. Some of those creatures are consumed, in turn, by higher life forms. Eventually, birds and marine mammals may consume fish or shellfish contaminated with the natural toxins of harmful algae and become ill or die.
One example was in 1991, when more than 100 pelicans and cormorants were found dead or stricken with serious neurological disorders in Monterey Bay, California, after eating Northern anchovies that were contaminated with a toxin from a harmful algae bloom.
In 1996, more than 150 Florida manatees—about 10 percent of the endangered population—died as a result of harmful algae blooms that contaminated their food supply and also released deadly toxins into the air.
In another incident, 14 humpback whales died in a single month near Cape Cod, Massachusetts, after eating toxic mackerel.
Red Tides FAQ Index:
- What are red tides and other harmful algae blooms?
- What causes red tides and other harmful algae blooms?
- How do red tides and other harmful algae blooms affect fish and shellfish?
- How do red tides and other harmful algae blooms affect birds and marine mammals?
- How do red tides and other harmful algae blooms affect human health?
- What are the economic impacts of red tides and other harmful algae blooms?
