Red tides are becoming a severe environmental problem along China’s coast, killing tons of fish and costing the country more than $100 million every year. Red tides, which can be caused or exacerbated by industrial and sewage waste, are massive and fast-spreading algae outbreaks that poison the water or deplete its oxygen supply, suffocating marine life. Outbreaks in China in the last couple years have threatened the livelihoods of thousands of fishers. Red tides are also a problem in Japan, Korea, and the U.S., where they periodically hit the waters of New England, the Pacific Northwest, and the Gulf of Mexico. Nearly 300 miles of Texas coastline are now suffering from red tide and have been closed to oyster fishing, putting the squeeze on folks who make their living in the oyster industry.
