Disclaimer: These postings were sent to us from a variety of media sources over the Internet. The content has not been reviewed for scientific accuracy or edited in any manner.
By Greg Sukiennik, Associated Press Writer | June 3, 2005 Red tide shellfish bed closures extend to Nantucket
BOSTON --The worst red tide in decades idled about two-thirds of the state's shellfish beds Friday, as the toxic algae bloom spread to Nantucket.
The state shut down all of shellfish beds on the island and in waters three miles around it, as well as remaining open beds in Chatham, because of unsafe levels of toxins.
Don Anderson of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution said it was the first time he could recall Nantucket being affected by red tide, though it has been found well offshore in the past.
"The scale of the outbreak .. there's enough (red tide) cells out there that even they can get dispersed and diffused around, there's still enough to cause problems when they get there," Anderson said.
Michael Hickey, the chief shellfish biologist at the state Division of Marine Fisheries, said the bloom is spreading "faster than we thought." He said currents in the area had been expected to carry it out to sea.
"Right now, it appears the bloom is expanding ... and it also appears toxin levels are continuing to rise," he said.
Late last month, officials closed shellfish beds from the New Hampshire border to Cape Cod when an algae bloom moved in from the Gulf of Maine. Shellfish beds in New Hampshire and Maine north to Penobscot Bay were closed shortly thereafter.
This week, it was discovered that for the first time, red tide had traveled through the Cape Cod Canal to Buzzards Bay, and on Thursday, Massachusetts officials closed the highly productive flats of the Monomoy Natural Wildlife Refuge off Chatham to shellfishermen.
Anderson said it's possible that the productive shellfish grounds in Buzzards Bay could be the next to be closed.
"We'll know a whole lot more hopefully by (Saturday)," when tests are completed, he said. "Maybe we get a little extending away from the Canal and most of the bay will remain open ... that's a bet and wishful thinking."
Hickey said warm conditions expected this weekend are ideal for the algae, because it grows in sunlight and warm water.
According to experts the bloom is unlikely to have any impact on summer beachgoers on the Cape and elsewhere. Still, it's the worst red tide to hit Massachusetts since 1972, when the state enacted a blanket closure of all shellfish beds.
Scientists say the algae contaminate only shellfish, making them unsafe for animals and humans to eat. Swimmers, fish, and popular sea foods such as lobster or shrimp are unaffected, as are scallops because people don't eat the part that absorbs the poison.
Each year, a bloom of the toxic algae, called Alexandrium, moves from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Ann, off Boston's North Shore. Usually, it doesn't move westward into Massachusetts Bay. This year, strong east and northeast winds, including two May nor'easters, blew in a particularly heavy algae bloom that flourished in the bay's warmer waters.v ------
Associated Press writer Jay Lindsay contributed to this report.