Red Tide

Red Tide Great day at the beach – a swim and hot sun Supposed to be a lot of fun. Yes, the sand was worm and soft But, noticed everyone had a small cough. I stepped into the water With my son and daughter. But saw a lot of fish that had died Someone said it was the Red Tide. Indeed the water did look red So I looked to see what Google said. Said it is an algae bloom It has toxins that are harmful to people you must assume. Accumulates in shellfish that people eat Can't remove the poison even with stove heat. But not all algae blooms can harm you These tiny plants are food for ocean animals too. When algae die and decompose in the sea It depletes oxygen causing a fish calamity. What can scientists do to keep red tide from our shores? They are working continuously with many ideas to explore. Machines developed at Woods Hole can now predict Where the next bad tide will hit. But one thing is sending them berserk They tried many chemicals but none seem to work. They learned from the Chinese who did it best Use positive charged mud which is cheap and is better than all the rest But not all is lost as it seems Scientists are turning algae into gasoline. Some day we may thank the Red Tide We may use it to get a ride.