There has been no new strandings of West Coast rock lobster since Saturday, 16 January 2020, according to the environment, forestry, and fisheries department.
"This is despite research findings
indicating that the red tide stretched along the northern shores of St Helena
Bay, from Dwarskersbos to north of Lambert’s Bay, and moved south and is now
located off the Berg River [estuary]," the department said in a statement
on Sunday.
On Friday, the red tide was responsible for
marine mortalities, including about 1 000 kg of West Coast rock lobster in the
vicinity of Elands Bay, about 220 km north of Cape Town.
The flow of the algal bloom, or red tide, into
the southern region of St Helena Bay meant that there was unlikely to be
further lobster mortalities of significance, owing to the smaller lobster
populations in that region.
Further mortalities of other marine life were
possible, particularly at risk was the Berg River estuary.
"The public is warned not to consume any
decayed fish and shellfish washed ashore as a result of the red tide which
could pose a serious health hazard," the department said.
Red tides are a natural phenomenon in coastal
waters caused by a dense accumulation of microscopic algae. Some of the algal
species are harmful because they contain toxins, which are poisonous to humans.
Poisoning may either take place through the
consumption of contaminated seafood or by toxic aerosols or water-bound
compounds that cause respiratory and skin irritation.
Other red tides cause harm through the
depletion of oxygen (anoxia), which affects all marine creatures, and can lead
to mass mortalities of the entire marine communities or mass walkouts of rock
lobsters that try to escape the anoxic conditions.
In 2014, an extensive and long-lasting red tide
occurred for the first time along the South Coast, extending from Knysna to
beyond Port Elizabeth and causing wide-scale mortalities of fish.
Done By: Mitchum George
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