They're piled up out there with the seaweed that washes in. A wide variety of fish have died in the red tide, including mullet, mackerel, catfish and black drum, Crowson said. There's not a whole lot anyone can do about the red tide. We just have to wait for it to go away.'' 'Not a lot you can do' Red tide is a high concentration of microscopic algae that produces a toxin that affects the central nervous system of fish and kills them. The toxins can form an irritating mist of sea spray, almost like an aerosol, causing human respiratory problems such as nose, throat and eye irritation.
Scientists have yet to find a viable way to combat red tide blooms.
The current bloom of red tide has been a problem in various locations along the Texas coast since Labor Day weekend, when streaks of the algae were spotted in the Gulf of Mexico near Galveston and on the west end of Matagorda Bay. Curtis Watters, who was combing a stretch of McGee Beach with a metal detector on Monday, took a break to ponder what has been killing so many fish lately. But it is the city's responsibility to pick the fish up. Largest bloom since 1986 Watters said that there is only one thing about red tide that will keep him away from the beach. I went out to the volleyball area near Luby Park this weekend.