Impacts to Wildlife

Harmful algal blooms have the potential to harm fish and wildlife through toxin production or ecological disturbances such as oxygen depletion and blockage of sunlight resulting in:

• Sub-lethal effects such as neurological changes, inability to forage for food, or mate
• Increased mortality of fish, seabirds and marine mammals as toxic organisms are consumed and toxins move up the food web

How you can help

Please be on the lookout for:

• ANY unusual behavior such as circular swimming, tremors, seizures, ataxia (loss of control of bodily movements—appear “drunk”), paralysis, confusion, disorientation, aggressiveness, diarrhea, vomiting and/or unresponsiveness.
  Click here for a worksheet that will guide you through recording and reporting behavioral observations.
• Large numbers of dead fish, birds or marine mammals along the coastline

If you are unsure who to contact to report these observations in your local region, contact Thomas Farrugia and he can relay the information to the appropriate people.