The mayor of Taormina, Cateno De Luca, today revoked the ban on bathing in the stretch of sea in front of Isola Bella, which had been closed since August 2 due to the presence of an algae, Ostreopsis ovata, in quantities exceeding the limit of 30,000 cells/litre. The new sampling carried out by Arpa on July 29, the results of which were communicated to the Municipality today, revealed a concentration of the algae lower than the limit value and therefore the mayor revoked last Friday’s ordinance.
Ostreopsis ovata is a potentially toxic unicellular microscopic alga (dinoflagellate group), which commonly lives in the warm waters of tropical seas on the surface of red and brown algae, but has also found optimal climatic conditions for its development in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, including many Italian coastal areas characterized by coasts and seabeds of a predominantly rocky nature.