Jeff Miller: “This red tide is of importance to many coastal areas around the United States. Red tide is known as a nuisance problem…”

“This red tide is of importance to many coastal areas around the United States. Red tide is known as a nuisance problem because it gives people headaches, makes people nauseous when they are around it, but because we see the dead fish washing up on the beach, it concerns the tourism of our area. But now it has come to the attention of scientists that red tide is now a killer of endangered species. A direct link was established by the University of Miami this summer. Their study concluded that red tide was definitely the cause of death of over 150 manatees along the coast of Florida this past spring. The manatee is a harmless sea cow which roams the Florida waterways searching for warm water and food. However, this food, once tainted with large amounts of red tide algae, can cause respiratory damage and a breakdown of the nervous system. Eventually the red tide causes the manatees to suffocate.”