Brown Tide in the Coastal Bays
Sampling results from Brown Tide (Aureococcus anophagefferens) monitoring in the Coastal Bays on June 18th indicated Category 2 and 3 bloom levels continue south of Ocean City inlet. Newport Bay and Trappe Creek were supporting Category 3 bloom levels while Ferry Landing and Tingles Landing showed Category 2 bloom densities. During May 2002, Brown tide was concentrated north of the Ocean City inlet but since early June the greatest densities have been found south of the inlet. It is expected that warmer water temperatures in late June and July will act to decrease population size of this species.