Pelicans Love the Red Tide

About three dozen pelicans serve themselves fish tar tar.

Since moving to the coast I've learned all sorts of stuff. For instance, one mega insurance company won't insure our home because we live within a mile of the water. The term "Winter Texans" mean people who drive down here in Winnebago's. And now, I've learned what "red tide" means.

Last night we took the kids to Corpus Christi for dinner and to see the harbor bridge lighted for Christmas. As we walked along the boardwalk we saw dozens of fish floating belly up. My husband said it was because of the red tide. I have never heard this term before.

This morning as I drove with my son along the beach, we saw dozens of pelicans perched atop the rocky breakers. And it smelled like a boy's high school gym locker. "Must be because of the red tide," my son said. 

This got me wondering what in the heck exactly is a red tide. According to the Texas Parks & Wildlife, "Red tide is a naturally-occurring, higher-than-normal concentration of the microscopic algae Karenia brevis (formerly Gymnodinium breve).

This organism produces a toxin that affects the central nervous system of fish so that they are paralyzed and cannot breathe. As a result, red tide blooms often result in dead fish washing up on Gulf beaches. When red tide algae reproduce in dense concentrations or "blooms," they are visible as discolored patches of ocean water, often reddish in color."

But, luckily for humans, it's not a dire situation. It's usually OK to eat fish, crabs and shrimp during a red tide bloom because the toxin is not absorbed into the fleshy tissues of these animals, according to the Texas Parks & Wildlife.

So unless you're a fish, red tide appears to be pretty harmless. It's just unsightly and smelly. Kind of like me after walking my dogs on a hot, humid day around here.

P.S.
On Sunday I baked banana nut bread for neighbors. I gave one loaf to my friend Winnie with a branded apron from the King Ranch. This morning she called me and scolded me. "You should have told me you put food in the bag. I didn't know so I put it under the tree for us to open on Christmas." Well, to make a long story short, their golden lab Dixie loved my bread. I don't want to see the loaves she's making.

The Wondering Texan