The Worst Bay Area Algae Bloom in Over a Decade Reintroduced Us to This Prehistoric Creature
Not-so-fun fact: Sturgeon are the ‘most endangered group of animals — on earth.’
The massive Bay Area algae bloom that claimed tens of thousands of native fish earlier this month was the largest of its kind since 2004. This “red tide” actually began taking shape in July, causing otherwise blue water to turn a murky, opaque shade of orange. As it grew — and, thus, became more dangerous — somewhat alarming fish die-offs started being reported in mid and early August. And by September, the algae boom had reached unprecedented levels, causing a region-wide fish die-off not seen in nearly twenty years. Multiple factors created this red tide — warmer than usual ocean temperatures, increased amounts of sunshine, plastic pollution, literal feces and urine runoff fueling explosive microbe growt...
