Red Tide Outbreak Off the Coast of Galveston, Texas

The Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife reported that a red tide has broken out in the Gulf of Mexico near the Bolivar Peninsula in Galveston County, with concentrations of the algae Karenia brevis reaching medium-to-high levels. Toxins from the red tide have caused the deaths of thousands of gulf herring, whose carcasses have been washed ashore by the waves; at the same time, airborne toxins released by the algae have caused beachgoers to experience respiratory irritation symptoms such as coughing and a sore throat.