Massive amounts of toxic algae are moving into the Florida coast from the northeast Gulf of Mexico, killing sea turtles, sharks and fish, and threatening the state's tourism economy, according to The Associated Press.
The blobs are being called the "red tide," and is an algae strain called Karenia brevis, the AP reported.
The algae is currently collecting in an area about 60 miles wide and 100 miles long, about 5 to 15 miles off St. Petersburg in the south and stretching north to Florida's Big Bend, where the peninsula ends and the Panhandle begins, according to the AP.
The algae is dangerous to sea life because of a toxin it releases that paralyzes their central nervous system, the AP reported.
The algae damage beaches and can be harmful to people who inhale the algae's toxins when winds blow onshore or by crashing waves, particularly people with asthma and other respiratory ailments, according to the AP.
In 2013, 276 manatees died due to the red tide, according to state records, and it even infected the grasses manatees eat, the AP reported.
Fishermen, who are deeply affected by the red tide, say a better warning system could help save time and money, according to the AP.
"If we had more of a head's up we could plan out where we would go fish," said Mike Colby, captain of the Double Hook fishing vessel in Clearwater, the AP reported.
"This red tide ... will likely cause considerable damage to our local fisheries and our tourist economy over the next few months," said Heyward Mathews, an emeritus professor of oceanography at St. Petersburg College who has studied the issue for decades, according to the AP.
Unlike other red tide species, Karenia brevis is not believed to be caused by manmade pollution, the AP reported.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokesman Ben Sherman said the president's 2015 budget does ask for a $6 million increase for research related to red tide forecasting, including the Gulf of Mexico, but Congress still has to approve it, according to the AP.
