Red slicks seen off Málaga coast identified

Red slicks seen off Málaga coast identified
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By m.p. - Jun 24, 2009 - 5:48 PM
It's a phenomenon known as a red tide and is caused by algae proved, in this case, to be non-toxic

A marea roja seen on a beach in Galicia last July - EFE

The red slicks which have been on some parts of the shoreline on the eastern part of Málaga province in recent days have been identified by scientists as non-toxic algae, which pose no danger to humans or to the environment.

Diario Sur identifies it as the Noctiluca scintillans phytoplankton, a spherical, single-celled alga, whose size and shape can be confused with a fish egg. When conditions are right, what is known as an ‘algal bloom’ can occur, when the algae accumulate rapidly near the water’s surface. The blooms occur when temperature, water salinity and light act together, with the red colour produced by enzymes reacting to the light.

It’s a phenomenon more commonly known as a red tide, and a ‘marea roja’ in Spain, some of which produce natural toxins which can be passed on to humans through molluscs collected in the area. That has been proved not to be the case in this instance, as confirmed to Sur newspaper by the Junta’s fisheries chief for Málaga, Elvira Frapolli.

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