Garden Route residents are warned not to eat shellfish from the sea as a red tide has been observed.
The George Municipality says they have received reports from Storms River Mouth, Plettenberg Bay, Swartvlei Beach, Kleinkrantz, Wilderness, Glentana and Mossel Bay.
A red tide, which is a natural phenomenon in coastal waters is caused by a dense accumulation of microscopic algae and could last for several days.
The Municipality says Disaster Management gathered samples for analysis which assisted in identifying Noctiluca scintillans as the first species.
Noctiluca scintillans
It is a planktonic dinoflagellate that can cause bioluminescence at night and taint surface water reddish-orange.
Even though it is not thought to be harmful to humans, it is advisable to avoid eating any washed-up marine life and to avoid collecting bivalves (oysters, clams, and mussels) until the strain identification is verified.
Eutrophication, or the enrichment of water with nutrients (typically agricultural nutrients that wash into the ocean during rainy times), is linked to Noctiluca scintillans algae blooms.
