CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Our surrounding waters are looking murky or cloudy especially in shallow depths.
That's because of the excess growth of algae. Ed Busky with the University of Texas Marine Science Institute explains why this happens.
“It’s a matter of sunlight. There’s more sunlight in the summertime because the days are longer and the sun in further directly overhead,” explained Busky
It’s a combination of sunlight plus the nutrients that run off the land and mixes in with the water.
“They grow very fast. Most algae divide every day or other two days, so it gets eaten very quickly,” said Busky.
There are different types of algae blooms but there are some that are harmful to both human health and marine life. That includes red tide and brown tide.
“It can come through the Corpus Christi Bay, and that can cause fish kills,” Busky said.
At Red Dot Fishing near the island, Operations Manager Edward Salazar has noticed the algae bloom off the pier.
“We’re seeing red bloom and white blooms that are coming up and it’s primarily due to the heat which means fishing is impacted somewhat,” said Salazar.
Salazar said commercial fishermen are more likely to have trouble than those who are fishing for fun.
"The algae doesn’t really affect them as much as it affects me. What I have a problem with is keeping it out of my tanks and keeping it out of the live wells so that the shrimp we sell to the public stays healthy,” said Salazar.
That's why Red Dot Fishing is circulating the water in their tanks so that algae won't grow but in the Bay it is not as easy fix.
“When the water starts moving actively the seaweed goes away and the algae doesn’t get stagnant, and it doesn’t grow,” said Salazar.
While its sunny and hot right now. Busky said the algae will go away in the fall when it cools down.
