A?dark red tide has made its way onto the coast of northern
Zhejiang
Province, Zhejiang Provincial Marine and Fishery Bureau
announced on Thursday.
The red tide covered about 4,000 square kilometers of sea on
Monday in Zhoushan, a city in northern Zhejiang, but within 24
hours had extended to 7,000 square kilometers on Wednesday.
Large red tides also showed up near Wenzhou, a city in southern
Zhejiang Province, on Tuesday. It covers about 340 square
kilometers and continues to grow.
Preliminary investigations show that the "redness" actually
indicates the presence of a kind of poisonous algae, which could
kill shellfish.
Provincial authorities have suspended shellfish fishing in
affected areas, said Li Dongyong, deputy-director of Zhejiang
Provincial Marine and Fishery Bureau.
The red tide is expected to persist for a few more days since
current weather conditions are favorable for the growth of the
algae.
(Xinhua News Agency June 3, 2005)