you think you have problems with algae!

Toxic algae bloom grows off Wash. coast
Wednesday, September 29, 2004 AP
SEATTLE -- A toxic algae bloom off the coast of Washington state has grown to
about 30 miles wide, the largest and most potentially lethal algae yet found by
scientists in the region.
The algae, about 15 miles from the coast, can release potentially deadly domoic
acid, which accumulates in the tissue of clams and other shellfish and, if
ingested by humans, attacks areas in the brain responsible for learning and
memory.
The algae should not pose any danger if it remains afloat away from the shore,
but researchers said Tuesday they are concerned the bloom could eventually wash
onto land.
"Within the next week, if there's a major storm, it's possible it might hit the
beach," said Barbara Hickey, a University of Washington oceanographer.
Fair weather could reduce the bloom and help prevent the algae from approaching
land, Hickey added.
State officials test coastal waters twice a week for domoic acid, and
satellites are being used to track the algae for any movement toward the coast,
scientists said.
"We'll have enough early warning to know for sure that the (shellfish) resource
is safe to dig," said Vera Trainer, of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center.
This is the second year that scientists have tested the algae bloom.
Concentrations of the poisonous algae are as high as 11 million cells per
liter, compared with about 200,000 cells per liter last year, scientists said.
For centuries, occasional "red tides" have occurred along the Pacific coast,
but for unknown reasons, the colorful blooms of poisonous algae became a
significant problem starting in the late 1980s.


kathy :-)
algae primer
http://hometown.aol.com/ka30p/myhomepage/garden.html