FGCU researchers say dead fish from red tide can be turned into natural fertilizer

FGCU researchers say dead fish from red tide can be turned into natural fertilizer

By McKenna King

Source: abcaction news

11/5/2021

Red tide has had damaging impacts on our marine life and economy over the last several years, but researchers at Florida Gulf Coast University and Mote Marine Aquarium are working to turn the bad into something positive for the future by turning dead fish into eco-friendly fertilizer.

The project is part of the Florida Red Tide Mitigation & Technology Development Initiative, led by Mote Marine Laboratory in collaboration with FWC.

The first thing they looked at was whether or not removing the fish kills early on prevented the algal blooms from getting any worse.

“Red tide can kill the fish, as the fish decay they release the nutrients back in the water that can feed back into red tide,” said Dr. Mike Parsons, Professor of Marine Science at Florida Gulf Coast University.

What they found was that removing dead fish did ensure they weren’t just adding fuel to the fire.

“What we found was that fish are in fact releasing a lot of nutrients," said Parsons.