Overview
- Galveston County Health District has an active advisory telling beachgoers to leave if they develop coughing, throat or eye irritation and to keep pets away from dead or sick marine life.
- Biologists began receiving reports of a bloom on Sept. 8 and water samples taken in the following days showed moderate-to-high concentrations of the algae Karenia brevis along Crystal Beach, the Bolivar Peninsula and about 12 miles of southern Galveston Island.
- Large numbers of dead fish, mainly Gulf menhaden and striped mullet, have washed ashore and TPWD’s Kills and Spills Team is documenting kills while continuing targeted sampling at jetties, Steward Beach and Pleasure Island Pier.
- The algae produce brevetoxins that can aerosolize in onshore surf and cause respiratory irritation and can cause neurotoxic shellfish poisoning if contaminated shellfish are eaten, so officials warn against handling beachcast animals and advise eating only certified seafood.
- Local restaurants and trade groups are watching supplies and prices but say it is too early to quantify impacts; the key things to watch next are how long the bloom persists and how wind and tides shift its patchy footprint.