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What is Red Tide?
Red Tide is caused by a "population explosion" of the dinoflagellate protist; often referred to as red algae.
Conditions that favor a “bloom” include: - high nutrient content, - warm surface temperatures, - low salinity, - calm seas.
During red tide blooms, toxins are stored in thedigestive tract (stomach and intestines) of
• soft-shell clams,• hard-shell clams,• oysters,• mussels,• scallopsFrom water affected by the red tide.
What happens if toxic shellfish are consumed?
Eating toxic shellfish can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). Dinoflaggelates make one of the most dangerous poisons known to scientists.
The poison immediately affects the nervous system, tingling of the lips and tongue, spreads to the face, neck, fingertips and toes. Headache, dizziness and nausea follow.
In severe cases, muscular paralysis and difficulty breathing may occur within 5 to 12 hours. Fatalities from respiratory paralysis have been reported.
This map compares the location of 400 dead zones (black dots) with
humanity's footprint — ranging from low population density in green to
high density in darker colors.
538 million chickens raised on the Delmarva peninsula - many of them owned by Perdue - generate 1.1 billion pounds of chicken litter every year. When chicken manure runs off into nearby waters, it contributes to the staggering dead zone plaguing the Bay.
The Delmarva Peninsula in VA. Once a very productive ecosystem and a jewel of U.S. food
production, the Chesapeake is now a wasteland. Decades of pollution, mainly from agriculture,
has destroyed the waterway. An invaluable wild source of sustainable food has been sacrificed at
the alter of cheap meat, chicken
“If you want to grow a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, you first need to
plant a seed in the rich farmland of the upper Mississippi River basin.”
The Mississippi River basin covers 40 percent of the continental United
States and is the largest producer of corn and soybeans in the world.
That’s a lot of fertilizer!