Red tide: A band aid solution

Researchers are looking at a new way of treating Red Tide:

In laboratory experiments, Takuji Nakashima of the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation in Kisarazu, Japan and colleagues found that two antifungal agents were both effective at killing two types of algae that cause harmful algal blooms, commonly called red tides.

From the Wikipedia article:

“Red tide” is a common name for a phenomenon known as an algal bloom, an event in which estuarine, marine, or fresh water algae accumulate rapidly in the water column, or “bloom”.

Some red tides are associated with the production of natural toxins, depletion of dissolved oxygen or other harmful impacts, and are generally described as harmful algal blooms. The most conspicuous effects of red tides are the associated wildlife mortalities among marine and coastal species of fish, birds, marine mammals and other organisms. In the case of Florida red tides, these mortalities are caused by exposure to a potent neurotoxin called brevetoxin which is produced naturally by the marine algae Karenia brevis.

Interesting, but what causes red tide? Again, from the Wikipedia article:

It is unclear what causes red tides; their occurrence in some locations appears to be entirely natural, while in others they appear to be a result of human activities.

We don’t know what cases Red Tide. It seems like it could be the reef’s equivalent of a forest fire. So, by adding anti fungal medication to an already delicate ecosystem, mankind could just be making it worse. If it is a natural phenomenon, the reefs should be left to themselves. If it’s man made, then the problem should be fixed; pollution controls should be put in place and run offs from farms should be curbed.

Let’s not put a band-aid on something we know nothing about.