Fish-killing toxic algae bloom has left San Francisco Bay for now

A toxic algae bloom that killed fish in San Francisco Bay for the second year in a row has dissipated, scientists say. The overall impact was much smaller than last year’s red tide, but experts caution that it’s too soon to say whether another one might flare up this summer. A bloom of Heterosigma akashiwo, the same organism that killed countless fish in San Francisco Bay and Lake Merritt last summer, was detected in the bay July 27. A week later, dead fish started washing up on the shoreline, including 10 sturgeon, along with bat rays, striped bass and other fish. Though it is unclear whether all were related to the bloom, a total of 85 dead fish were observed by citizen scientists before the red tide dissipated late last week.