Large algae bloom sitting off Uist and Barra

What is suspected to be a huge blue green algae bloom has developed over a large area in the Minch.

The bloom stretches for miles along the eastern coasts and sealochs of the islands, particularly Harris, Uist and Barra. Parts of the islands’ western seaboard may also be affected.

Highland Council said it was a blue green algae bloom which could be potentially harmful to people and animals.

The council warned contact with any algal scum should be avoided as a precaution.

Satellite imagery provided by Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) shows the vast extent of the bloom in the Minch which is spreading along the coastline of Skye, Uist and Barra with potential for the bloom to impact across multiple locations.

The situation is being monitored by Highland Council’s environmental health department in partnership with SEPA and wider colleagues.

Contact with blue-green algae and the toxins it may produce can have health effects for humans and animals;

Blue-green algae exists in the UK and throughout the world; they are noticed when their concentrations increase to form “blooms” and when they form scums – looking like blue-green paint or when they collect on the shore line.

Some blue-green algae may give rise to adverse medical effects – but not always. Effects on people coming into contact with toxic scums include skin rashes, eye irritation, vomiting and diarrhoea, fever and pains in muscles and joints. Toxic algae have caused deaths of livestock and dogs, waterbirds and fish. The actions currently taken are precautionary.

The behaviour of algae is erratic and the level of its toxicity can fluctuate; it can appear one day, be dispersed by the wind and mixing and re-accumulate at any time.

Suspected huge algae bloom sitting off Western Isles

9 June 2021