The recent Japanese red seaweed invasion at Heckscher State Park had Save the Great South Bay supporters on high alert, Robyn Silvestri, executive director of SGSB, wrote on the SGSB website. The …
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The recent Japanese red seaweed invasion at Heckscher State Park had Save the Great South Bay supporters on high alert, Robyn Silvestri, executive director of SGSB, wrote on the SGSB website. The invasive seaweed from Japan was first detected on Long Island waterways three years ago and has now spread to the point of being “everywhere.” The seaweed, according to SGSB, becomes a health hazard and releases hydrogen sulfide gas when it decays. It can also be harmful to marine life.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has also received reports of various macroalgae (seaweed) and eelgrass washing up and decomposing along Long Island’s shore. Dasysiphonia japonica is an invasive alga that has a major presence in the Great South Bay and was first reported in New York in 2018, the NYSDEC explained.
“This particular algal species is associated with large red masses and a sulfur smell when decaying. It prefers cooler water temperatures, and the recent high temperatures likely have contributed to the increased die-off,” a NYSDEC spokesperson explained.
Like many other types of algae and organic matter, when decomposing, it can emit hydrogen sulfide gas after it washes up and decays on the shore.
According to Save the Great South Bay, they have called on their colleagues at Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, who are looking into the issue. Silvestri said it could be the seaweed, or it could be the red tide again, like last year.
Either way, she said, the solution is to stop the nitrogen pollution in the bay through connecting homes and businesses to sewers rather than cesspools, noting residents can also upgrade to innovative and alternative on-site wastewater treatment systems (IA/OWTS). Grants are available through Suffolk County. Another contributing factor, she added, is landscaping fertilizers.
“Nitrogen pollution in the bay triggers algal blooms. Our organization diligently advocates for municipalities, businesses, and homeowners to reduce the nitrogen load coming from the mainland by connecting to sewers, updating outdated cesspools, and reducing—or better yet, eliminating—the use of chemical-laden fertilizers,” said Silvestri.
However, according to Dr. John Tanacredi, the director of CERCOM at Molloy University, he doesn’t see any issue with the algae blooms or red seaweed, and stated that the smells are natural parts of the decomposition heighted by low tides and high temperatures.
“When there is dead plant material, there is going to be an odor,” he said.
His department has about a dozen intern students monitoring the environment during the summer working for the National Weather and Parks Services, he explained, which oversees plankton diversity. Typically, he said, the smells and blooms are “hyped” every year. However, he said, the Great South Bay’s water quality has been “off-the-charts spectacular.”
He also said he doesn’t believe nitrogen pollution is the issue.
“Blaming everything on septic system is misguided,” he said, explaining that a version of cesspools has been around since ancient times. He also noted that water quality was at its best during the pandemic, when everyone stayed home, but 95 percent of those homes are on cesspools.
The good water quality, he said, can be seen by the biodiversity, including humpback whales visiting the Rockaways and the abundance of fish.
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