Several readers of "Vijesti" addressed the newsroom regarding, as they say, the pollution of sea water in the Herceg Novi water area, which, according to them, has been going on for months.
"You can see a long spot about 50 meters from the coast, from the hotel "Plaža" all the way to the tunnel beach. In Meljina this morning and on the coast. And so every now and then" - stated one of the citizens who spoke to "Vijesti".
The Institute of Marine Biology from Kotor (IBMK) confirmed that it had received inquiries during the previous days "regarding the appearance of slimy accumulations on the surface of the seawater in the area of the Bay of Kotor, specifically in the Bay of Herzegnov".
"We are talking about the 'blooming of the sea', a phenomenon that was first recorded in 1729, and since 2000 it has been appearing more intensively in the Adriatic. A bloom is a mass development of planktonic algae up to several million cells per liter of seawater, which is the result of favorable conditions such as sufficiently high concentrations of nutrients in the water, sufficient sunlight and suitable sea temperature. It can color the water in red, green, brown colors in accordance with the predominant colors found in the cells of the algae," IBMK explained.
They point out that what is worrisome is that the intensity and frequency of these phenomena is becoming more widespread, more frequent and longer lasting, which can certainly be largely attributed to the negative influence of humans "through waste water and other activities".
"Most often it occurs in the spring or during the summer, when due to calm weather and weakened circulation, mucus accumulations are mostly on the surface, presenting a visually unpleasant phenomenon. This phenomenon is harmless to human health, if the sea is bacteriologically clean", the Institute said.
They specified that usually slimy accumulations begin to form in the deeper layers of the sea, and then rise to the surface due to accumulated gases. During the day, winds and surface currents usually carry slime accumulations towards the coast, mostly towards closed bays, harbors and beaches.
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