Harmful Algae Bloom at Barren and Rough

[pointer]

Jim,
After what has happened at Dale Hollow, I would have rather this didn't happen at all, especially on Barren. I know that there are still smallmouth in Dale, but it ruined the lake for a while. I say this thinking that the algae bloom on Dale Hollow was a precursor to a significant fish kill.
That said, for whatever reason, the largemouth seemed to have come out of hiding, based on the reports that I have seen.

[Carter1]

I don't recall anything like this a couple of years or so ago when we had all the rain. Why is it different this year?

[Bonefish]

Freshwater algal blooms are the result of an excess of nutrients, particularly some phosphates. The excess of nutrients may originate from fertilizers that are applied to land for agricultural or recreational purposes. They may also originate from household cleaning products containing phosphorus. These nutrients can then enter watersheds through water runoff. When phosphates are introduced into water systems, higher concentrations cause increased growth of algae and plants. Algae tend to grow very quickly under high nutrient availability, but each alga is short-lived, and the result is a high concentration of dead organic matter which starts to decay. The decay process consumes dissolved oxygen in the water, resulting in hypoxic conditions. Without sufficient dissolved oxygen in the water, animals and plants may die in large numbers.

A harmful algal bloom (HAB) is an algal bloom that causes negative impacts to other organisms via production of natural toxins, mechanical damage to other organisms. It is unclear what causes a HAB; their occurrence in some locations appears to be entirely natural, while in others they appear to be a result of human activities. Furthermore, there are many different species of algae that can form HABs, each with different environmental requirements for optimal growth. The frequency and severity of HABs in some parts of the world have been linked to increased nutrient loading from human activities. In other areas, HABs are a predictable seasonal occurrence resulting from coastal upwelling. The growth of marine phytoplankton (both non-toxic and toxic) is generally limited by the availability of nitrates and phosphates, which can be abundant in coastal upwelling zones as well as in agricultural run-off. The type of nitrates and phosphates available in the system are also a factor, since phytoplankton can grow at different rates depending on the relative abundance of these substances (e.g. ammonia, urea, nitrate ion). A variety of other nutrient sources can also play an important role in affecting algal bloom formation, including iron, silica or carbon.

[roadrunner]

Freshwater algal blooms are the result of an excess of nutrients, particularly some phosphates. The excess of nutrients may originate from fertilizers that are applied to land for agricultural or recreational purposes. They may also originate from household cleaning products containing phosphorus. These nutrients can then enter watersheds through water runoff. When phosphates are introduced into water systems, higher concentrations cause increased growth of algae and plants. Algae tend to grow very quickly under high nutrient availability, but each alga is short-lived, and the result is a high concentration of dead organic matter which starts to decay. The decay process consumes dissolved oxygen in the water, resulting in hypoxic conditions. Without sufficient dissolved oxygen in the water, animals and plants may die in large numbers.

A harmful algal bloom (HAB) is an algal bloom that causes negative impacts to other organisms via production of natural toxins, mechanical damage to other organisms. It is unclear what causes a HAB; their occurrence in some locations appears to be entirely natural, while in others they appear to be a result of human activities. Furthermore, there are many different species of algae that can form HABs, each with different environmental requirements for optimal growth. The frequency and severity of HABs in some parts of the world have been linked to increased nutrient loading from human activities. In other areas, HABs are a predictable seasonal occurrence resulting from coastal upwelling. The growth of marine phytoplankton (both non-toxic and toxic) is generally limited by the availability of nitrates and phosphates, which can be abundant in coastal upwelling zones as well as in agricultural run-off. The type of nitrates and phosphates available in the system are also a factor, since phytoplankton can grow at different rates depending on the relative abundance of these substances (e.g. ammonia, urea, nitrate ion). A variety of other nutrient sources can also play an important role in affecting algal bloom formation, including iron, silica or carbon.

Bonefish:
I was hoping you would post on here I really enjoy your expertise in these subjects. I know that with the computer aided farming there is less fertilizer being applied to the fields, there has been a lot of phosphates taken out of the household cleaner and detergents so you would think this would minimize these type events however we have had a lot of heavy rains and probably increased run off.

Isn't there a problem of a blue or blue green algae in commercial catfish farms caused by the high concentration of fish per acre which would be heavy waste product causing this. Also was this not the reason Asian carp were brought into the fish farms or am I mistaken?

[Bonefish]

Roadrunner, I invite you to look at this report.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/defa...rshh2o0708.pdf

[365allout]

Any word on nolin? I figured since barren and rough have been affected that nolin wouldn't be far behind.

I saw on their FB page that they have tested and are waiting on the results to get back. Located between and next to both Rough and Barren and influenced by the same environmental and man made factors, I'll bet $100 your right.

[365allout]

LOL I was thinking the same thing, the PPM (parts per million) would be incredibly negligible, no it's not a factor what so ever.

If you put it in context you see that I was listing factors that attributed to the problem in a response to SLP, keep in mind I didn't list them all. It is correct to observe that in and of itself, that it is not a significant amount. But if you delve into the subject you have to consider all factors, therefore it's important to understand that it is never the less a factor. It is the Sum of all factors that give you a Total and it is the total nutrient volume overload that promotes the situation. More importantly than the PPM is the chemical composition, Effective Volume and lifecycle of a contaminant, the old train of dilution is the solution derailed years ago.

[linedrager]

Probably a dumb question, but what exactly causes a harmful algae bloom?

obama lol!!!

[linedrager]

I don't recall anything like this a couple of years or so ago when we had all the rain. Why is it different this year?

I was reading on one of the newsrooms websites that testing for this stuff is brand new to this area, may have been here before we just didn't know it, kind of like aids, been around for years and years just never documented.