Spread of phytoplankton reason for red tide in Kuwait Bay: EPA

According to the Environment Public Authority the red tide that is visible in the Kuwait Bay is due to the spread of phytoplankton which results in seasonal fish deaths.

The authority told a local Arabic daily that the EPA teams have monitored the marine environment and collected samples from the Bay of Kuwait to evaluate biological indicators and water quality through routine marine field surveys of areas where red tide is frequent.

The sources explained this process will determine the reasons for the occurrence of the two phenomena of the red tide, which may be accompanied by the death of fish, indicating that it could be coastal human activities that negatively affect the marine environment and contribute to a decrease in the quality of sea water or natural causes.

The EPA also stated that the results of the surveys revealed the presence of a change in the color of the coastal sea water to a dark red-brown, which indicates a decrease in its quality and an increase in nutrients that led to the blooming of phytoplankton near the Shuwaikh area, specifically from the exit of Al-Ghazali, extending to Al-Salam Beach, and then to the eastern coasts, extending to the Abraaj area.

The Authority confirmed the completion of its teams in following up the environmental conditions in Kuwait Bay during the coming days, in the interest of the marine environment and the safety of its beaches and components.