Politics & Government
No Widespread Fish Deaths From Recent Red Tides: SF Water Board
The water board has been monitoring algal blooms since last week along parts of the shoreline off of Alameda and parts of Marin County.
SAN FRANCISCO — Officials with the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board said Thursday that harmful algal blooms also known as "red tides" found recently in parts of the Bay have not so far brought widespread fish deaths like a similar event in the region last year.
The water board and other agencies have been monitoring the algal blooms seen since last week along parts of the shoreline in areas off of Alameda, between Emeryville to Albany, and certain parts of Marin County, but have not found any significant harm to aquatic life.
However, the water board is advising people in their pets to avoid swimming or otherwise coming in contact with discolored water in the Bay until further notice.
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The water board also issued a list answers to frequently asked questions about the algal bloom .
Last summer, a red tide in the Bay led to large quantities of fish deaths attributed to depleted oxygen in the vicinity of the algal blooms, though the water board notes that red tides are relatively common and are known to occur off of California's coast or come into San Francisco Bay.
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Anyone who spots a suspected harmful algal bloom can fill out an online form, send an email, or call (844) 729-6466.
Reports of dead fish can be sent to the SF Bay Harmful Algae Bloom 2023 project on iNaturalist, set up by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
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