The orange looking water spotted along the shoreline in Sechelt is normal and nothing to be worried about, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
“It is most likely a bloom of Noctiluca, a non-toxic plankton, that is often observed at this time of the year,” said Michelle Imbeau, communications advisor for Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
The plankton gets its colour from the phytoplankton it eats and the blooms tend to accumulate near shorelines.
The warm weather likely kick-started the plankton’s growth.
As the water warms up it forms layers, which force the plankton near the surface of the ocean where they thrive.
While the plankton are present in the ocean year round they’re only visible when the water and weather conditions are just right.
Some have confused the sight of the blooms with red tide and although there is a red tide warning in effect for the Coast right now, the blooms are not an indication of it.
The current red tide warning was issued on April 30 by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and closes local waterways (referred to as areas 16, 28 and 29) to the harvesting of all bivalve shellfish until further notice.
Find out more about the closure at http://notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/.
