Tens of thousands of dead fish are washing up ashore Oakland’s Lake Merritt and other parts of San Francisco Bay because of an unprecedented algae bloom, environmentalists say.
The die-off is being attributed to a weeks-long “red tide” event, in which the water turns a rusty red color because of the prevalence of marine algae that has grown out of control.
“From a fish’s point of view, this is a wildfire in the water,” said Jon Rosenfield, a scientist at the San Francisco (SF) Baykeeper environmental group.
“I’ve seen red tide before, but not on this scale,” said Lake Merritt Institute’s James Robinson.
SF Baykeeper said that an algae bloom “of this magnitude has not occurred in the region since 2004.”
Although the algae isn’t considered harmful to humans, SF Baykeeper advised people against going into the lake as it may emit toxins.