Malelane Gate to Close Temporarily due to Planned March by Unemployed Youth
Access to the Malelane Gate in the south of the Kruger National Park will be closed temporarily on Tuesday, 22 September 2026 due to a planned march b...
Warning: Red tide observed again in the Knysna Estuary
Common types of red tide can kill shellfish, abalone, black and white mussels and oysters. Other blooms can be stored in mussels until they become poisonous if eaten by humans.
What are these phytoplankton organisms?
Phytoplankton are “microscopic, single-celled organisms that float in the sea, according to a Marine and Coastal Management Guideline from the Department of Environmental Affairs. They are able to photosynthesise and form the basis of food chains in the oceans. There are three types of red tide organisms, dinoflagellates, diatoms and ciliates.”
Dinoflagellates usually lie dormant on the seabed until they are lifted to the surface during upwelling where the ideal conditions of temperature and light trigger their germination.
Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP), which produces toxins that disrupt normal nerve functions, can be associated closely with dinoflagellate. Symptoms of PSP appear anytime between one and five hours after eating contaminated seafood.
Issued By
South African National Parks (SANParks) Garden Route Communications
Tel: 044 302 5633
Enquiries:
Nandi Mgwadlamba
Regional Communications Manager, SANParks
Tel: 044 302 5633; Cell: 078 702 9663
Email: [email protected]