ENCINITAS, Calif. — The red tide that brought us the bioluminescence has also been killing fish in the North County lagoons. Now, it's doing the same to sea life in the ocean. News 8 asked Captain Larry Giles, who is with Encinitas Marine Safety, about the length of the bloom.
"This has been one of the top one or two I've seen in my life time," said Giles.
The bloom is caused by a combination of many things, but the biggest contributors were the heavy rains San Diego saw in April. The runoff brought large amounts of nutrients into the water, which triggered the bloom.
"It's an occurrence that just took place because of the heavy rain and the lack of swell and the very warm spell really triggered the plankton to bloom," said Giles.
Because everything has aligned, the algae has gone unchecked, consuming all the dissolved oxygen in the water and making it an anaerobic environment.
"So what we're seeing right now is so rich and concentrated, especially in the lagoon area and up and down the beaches here, that it is really affecting the sea life down here on the beaches," said Giles.
Now the bloom that brought the bioluminescence is killing the creatures in the sea.
"We're seeing eels, fish, crabs, and shell fish come up on the beach deceased. They're being affected by the red tide," said Giles.
If you're thinking about eating any of the sea life, Giles said think again.
"Definitely not the time to take anything out of the ocean. To harvest any fish or any shell life throughout life is a no-go. You don't want to get sick," said Giles.
The cooler temperatures in San Diego County and a south swell will help in turning over the ocean and then hopefully dissipate the red tide.