Mohammad Zangari, a member of Homuz Island+s council, told CHN that 40 tons of aquatics were killed because of the algae blooming in coastal waters.

“Fishing has reduced by over 70 percent in the region because of the red tide phenomenon,“ he said, adding that the income of 600 households in the island is directly related to fishing.

Zangari noted that the red tide phenomenon has been witnessed in the past, but it has increased considerably this year.

During the last few years, red tide emerged as narrow brown lines in the waters of the island but no marine deaths were reported.

“This year, the algae turned into red and covered coastal waters massively such that fishing has become impossible,“ he said.

Zangari emphasized that red tide, which appeared in September 2008, has caused irreparable damage to the environment.