FGCU, Mote Marine Lab project studies if dead fish are feeding red tide

FGCU and Mote Marine lab are testing a hypothesis to see if the fish killed by red tide make our problems worse.

ESTERO A new FGCU and Mote Marine Lab project is studying if dead fish feed red tide and if removing them will mitigate the problem.

"There's a lot of unknowns in terms of what supports red tide blooms," said Dr. Mike Parsons, a Professor of Marine Science at FGCU's Water School.

But, we do know the blooms need nutrients. FGCU and Mote Marine lab are testing a hypothesis to see if the fish killed by red tide make our problems worse.

"Red tide kills fish, as those fish degrade; they release nutrients back in the water which can feed red tide," said Dr. Parsons.

Dr. Parsons will do lab and field studies to see the effect dead fish have on nutrient levels.