Toxic Blooms Becoming Commonplace In Many Coastal Areas

"[The] outbreaks, often called red tides, are occurring more often worldwide, showing up in new places, lasting longer and intensifying. They are distress signals from an unhealthy ocean. Overfishing, destruction of wetlands, industrial pollution and climate change have made the seas inhospitable for fish and more advanced forms of life and freed the lowliest â€" algae and bacteria â€" to flourish.

One thing is clear: "a scientific consensus is emerging that commercial agriculture and coastal development, in particular, promote the spread of harmful algae. They generate runoff rich in nitrogen, phosphorous and other nutrients that sustain these microscopic aquatic plants. In essence, researchers say, modern society is force-feeding the oceans with the basic ingredients of Miracle-Gro."

Residents of Little Gasparilla Island and other Florida Gulf Coast communities complain of algae blooms that arrive more often, stay longer, and leave respiratory, gastrointestinal, and neuromuscular illnesses in their wake.