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Red tide update, October 5, 2000
Texas Parks and WildlifeThis is the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department red tide update for October 5, 2000 at 4 pm. Dead fish are washing up on Surfside Beach, and residents there report severe respiratory irritation. Department staff will be monitoring the red tide there today.
On Tuesday, red tide was observed along the Padre Island National Seashore from the 33- to 35-mile markers. This area had a reddish patch approximately 1/4 mile offshore and hundreds of dead fish washing ashore. People in the vicinity reported severe respiratory irritation earlier in the week. Wednesday afternoon red tide was being reported between the end of the pavement in the park and the 15-mile mark, near Yarborough Pass. Respiratory difficulties were occurring in this area, but there was no visible reddish patch in the water and only a few dead fish were seen. Other reports have been received of numerous dead menhaden from Mile Marker 10 to Mile Marker 35 along the national seashore.
Beachgoers have reported experiencing respiratory irritation on the Gulf beach in the Sargent and Matagorda areas and TPWD staff report experiencing respiratory irritation at the mouth of Cedar Bayou on San Jose Island this morning.
Red tide cells counted by the Texas Department of Health this week show high concentrations of red tide at sites in Dickinson Bayou, the Port O'Connor jetties, the Port of Corpus Christi jetty, and the Cooper's Alley L-head boat ramp in Corpus Christi Bay. However, most of the sites sampled in the Galveston Bay system and Corpus Christi Bay area show relatively low concentrations of red tide cells or no red tide.
Three common signs of a red tide bloom are discolored water, dead fish, and breathing difficulty. To report sightings of red tide during weekdays, call your local TPWD office or the Kills and Spills Team at (512) 912-7055. For more information about red tide and the latest updates, visit the TPWD web site at www.tpwd.state.tx.us and click on the red tide symbol, or call the TPWD hotline at (800) 792-1112, press "4" for fishing, then press "9" for red tide.
Cindy Contreras
Water Quality Coordinator
Resource Protection Division4200 Smith School Road
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Austin, TX 78744(512) 912-7095 voice
(512) 707-1358 fax