Red tide

Okay kiddo, imagine you are at the beach and you see the water turning red. That's not good, right? This is called "red tide."

Red tide happens when there are a lot of tiny plants called "algae" in the water. These plants can be good for the ocean because they provide oxygen and food. But if there are too many of them, they can cause problems.

Some types of algae release toxins, which are like little poisons. When there's a lot of these toxic algae in the water, it can make fish and other sea creatures sick or even kill them. And if a person eats these sick fish or shellfish, they can get really sick too.

When there's a red tide, it can also smell pretty bad. That's because the dead fish and algae start to rot in the water.

Scientists are working hard to understand red tide and how to prevent it from happening too often or getting too bad. In the meantime, it's important to stay away from the water when there's a red tide warning and to make sure to only eat fish and shellfish from trusted sources.