No end in sight for Mississippi's toxic algae bloom

Thanks for watching my video.
If you like my videos, please subscribe to the channel to receive the latest videos
Videos can use content-based copyright law contains reasonable use Fair Use (
For any copyright, please send me a message. Almost all of Mississippi's beaches have been closed for more than two months because of toxic algae which causes rashes, diarrhea and vomiting. State environment bosses started closing the Gulf coast on June 22 and there is still no end in sight to the catastrophe which has ravaged the fishing and tourist industries.Polluted floodwaters flowing down the Mississippi river from the Midwest have fed an outbreak of cyanobacterium, known as blue-green algae, officials said.State marine officials say it has damaged oyster reefs and decimated crab populations due to alterations in the salinity levels, The Huffington Post reported. The algae, usually found in freshwater, also poses a risk to domestic animals and several dogs have died from exposure. Residents have been urged to stay out of the water and avoid eating fish which were caught in the affected waters. Some ten trillion gallons of Mississippi River water was diverted by the Army Corps of Engineers to prevent it flooding New Orleans. Mississippi's beaches are a tourist attraction, but those farther east along the Gulf Coast in Alabama and Florida draw more visitors because the water is generally clearer with more waves. Share this article Share Joe Spraggins of the Mississippi Department of Marine resources, told WLOX last month: 'We've lost a lot of the shrimp. We've lost a lot of the crabs. We've lost almost all of the oysters.'He added: 'If you think of the person doing their business out there that has a jet ski or whatever, it may take them two or three years to get their clientele back.'The spillway for floodwaters was opened twice this year and was also opened last year and in 2016.Spraggins said he would meet with the Mississipi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann as well as the River Commission to consider the policy of opening the spillway. It remains unclear when the algal bloom will subside and climate scientists believe that as the planet warms, increased rainfall in the Midwest could make it persistent.Dr Brian Lapointe, a researcher at the Florida Atlantic University, told the Huffington Post: 'It could be the new normal, and it will impact fisheries and the economy if it continues ... It would be a tourist season killer.'Frustrated residents claim state officials seem to have little in their arsenal to combat the algae and fear they are trying to keep the depth of the problem under wraps.

dailymail,news,