Red tide brings shrimp close to shore

Usually the term red tide is associated with mass amounts of dead fish washing up on our shores as harmful algae blooms deplete oxygen levels in the water, but occasionally it means locals get to take advantage of a jubilee.
That was the case this morning in the stretch of water just southeast of the Port of Gulfport as locals packed into the area between Moses Pier and Urie Pier to net, shovel, and scoop up the seafood that was seeking refuge in the oxygen rich water near the shoreline.
Although a significant red tide can be dangerous for fish and marine mammals, many of those opportunists are hoping this one isn’t ending anytime soon. Biloxi Resident Taylor Klopton said, “I was planning on going out on the Ship Island boat and started catching shrimp and it’s way more worth my time to sit here and catch shrimp than to go out to the islands and catch fish.”
In Alabama, the Mobile Bay is famous for being the only body of water where this phenomenon occurs on a regular basis.