Bay of Troubles: Brown Tide

By Christine Insinga

It's dirty- it's dense- it's deadly!  It's BROWN TIDE -YUCK- and it came back with a vengeance this summer! 

  It was first documented off of Long Island's south shores & in Narragansett Bay, Rhode island, back in 1985.  Experts say it's never been more dense or widespread than it was this season--spreading all the way from Shinnecock Bay to the waters off Freeport.

What is it?  Basically it's a teeny tiny single celled floating plant--called phytoplankton--that grows, or blooms to such an extent that it turns the water it's in brown.

Why is it harmful?

Experts say the dark color keeps light from reaching the bottom of the bay causing the eelgrass, small crabs, and shellfish to suffer, even die.

Fisherman Joe Buczak says he lost $20,000 this summer because his catch was virtually non-existent. 

While it's not at all harmful to humans, I don't know many boaters or swimmers who'd want to go wading in the stuff...do you??

Suffolk County officials say they're worried tourists feel the same way and will keep their distance during the brown tide season- which is usually May through August.  Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy says the county's spent $1.6 million trying to fix the problem over the last 10 years.

What caused it?

Truth be told- no one knows for absolute sure just yet, but many will tell you pollution from storm water run off and the over harvesting of clams in the 1970s are good places to start looking.

   Clams act as natural filters                        

in the water- so the fewer of them there are- the dirtier the water is.

What's being done?

Well, lots of things...

In addition to the work the county is doing there are places like the Nature Conservancy that are trying to replenish the clam population by reseeding them in the Great South Bay.

Folks at SEAGRANT have initiated more than a dozen research projects on the issue as well.{##}

Comments

[Eric]

Good job on this story. The Great South Bay needs a second inlet to open up. We need to stop worrying about someones beach house on Fire Island and let nature take its course. Let it breach. Also need to take care of current inlet and channels. Dredge them to increase water flow in and out of the bay.

[Eric]

Good job on this story. The Great South Bay needs a second inlet to open up. We need to stop worrying about someones beach house on Fire Island and let nature take its course. Let it breach. Also need to take care of current inlet and channels. Dredge them to increase water flow in and out of the bay.