Red tide mars Port Rashid's waters

Dubai: Algal blooms, also known as red tide, have been spotted at Port Rashid in Dubai but civic officials are confident the bloom will not spread to Ras Al Khor sanctuary or other parts of the creek.

Red tide has recently caused havoc in Ras Al Khaimah and the East Coast. Gulf News previously reported that the red tide had reached an increasing number of areas in Ras Al Khaimah and had become a real threat.

Officials in the emirate said fishermen found catching fish in these areas would face tough consequences.

In Khor Fakkan, a desalination plant was closed after officials described the bloom back in November as 'the worst in years'.

Tonnes of fish died of asphyxiation and were cleaned off the beaches by Dibba municipality workers and fishermen were banned from fishing within eight nautical miles of the shore.

Mohammad Abdul Rahman Hassan, head of marine environment and sanctuaries unit from the environment department at Dubai Municipality said the species of algae in Dubai was different to Ras Al Khaimah and Khor Fakkan.

"From our initial identification the species are not the same. Usually blooms do not last very long. Last year it was just a few days. On the East Coast it lasted much longer," he said.

"This is a natural phenomenon which occurs in all seas. Not all species are toxic, not all algae blooms are harmful. This could be caused by a number of conditions such as climate, nutrients, churning of the waves or even a man made impact," said Hassan.