Dead Fish on Dibba Beach Fujairah Due to Red Tide Algae

Salah Al Deberkey reports:

“Dibba-Al Fujairah and Dibba Al Hesn municipalities have stepped up their efforts to remove the huge collection of dead fish from their shores due to the red tide phenomenon.”

“The residents of Dibba-Fujairah and Dibba-Al Hesn have been complaining of the stench arising out of the situation. The red tide phenomenon occurs when there is higher than normal concentration of microscopic algae Karenia brevis (formerly known as Gymnodinium breve) in an area. The organism produces a toxin that affects the central nervous system of fish.”

“When red tide algae reproduce in dense concentrations or ‘blooms’, they are visible as discoloured patches of ocean water, often reddish in colour.”

The entire article can be read at:
Salah Al Deberkey, Dead Fish raise a Stink on Beaches at Fujairah, Khaleej Times, 15 November.

Main Fujairah Beaches and Kalba
One can still catch a passing whiff at the Fujairah and Kalba beaches but the red tide algae has not affected these areas as much as in Dibba.

Some Earlier Reports:
Smelling the Decline of the Fujairah Fishing Industry, FIF, 13 November 2008.

Fall of the Fishing Industry in Fujairah, FIF, 1 November 2008.

Algae Kills thousands of Fish at Fujairah’s Dibba Beach, FIF, 11 September 2008.

Dr Geoff Pound

Image: Aerial shot of red tide phenomenon in the USA (Photo courtesy, Google Images).