Medium levels of red tide are predicted through at least Monday, Dec. 17 around most of Anna Maria Island, according to the University of South Florida/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides.
For the first time since red tide arrived in local waters last August, no fish kills were reported in Manatee County last week, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
The absence of fish kills may be because the nearshore fish population already has been eradicated in recent months, according to Charlie Hunsicker, director of the Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Department.
The most recent FWC water samples available show these concentrations of red tide:
Not present or background: Mead Point at Perico Island, Dec. 11
Very low: Rod and Reel Pier (Anna Maria) Dec. 10; Longboat Pass boat ramp (Sarasota Bay) Dec. 10
Low: Cortez Beach (Bradenton Beach), Dec. 10
Medium: Palma Sola Bay bridge, Dec. 10.
Background concentrations of red tide cause no anticipated effects.
Very low levels cause possible respiratory irritation
Low levels cause possible respiratory irritation, shellfish harvesting closures and fish kills.
Medium levels cause probable respiratory irritation, shellfish harvesting closures and fish kills.
High levels cause all of the above, plus water discoloration.
Respiratory irritation was reported Dec. 9-12 at Coquina Beach (Bradenton Beach) and Dec. 6-7 and Dec. 9 at Manatee Beach (Holmes Beach).
While no fish kills were reported, FWC reported a red tide-distressed seagull on Anna Maria Island on Dec. 13.
Red tide is a type of algae that emits a neurotoxin when it blooms. Deadly to fish, sea turtles, marine mammals and shorebirds that feed on affected fish, red tide makes shellfish unfit to eat, and can cause respiratory irritation in people, especially those with asthma, COPD or other respiratory diseases.
The toxic algae bloom has been present in the southwest Gulf of Mexico since October 2017, reaching Anna Maria Island in early August 2018.
EGMONT KEY – The renourishment of Egmont Key’s critically-eroded beaches is at a standstill because the project resulted in the deaths of six sea turtles, the maximum allowed.
The $10 million project, which began last month and was suspended on Dec. 2, is expected to resume in late spring or early summer, before hurricane season, said Susan Jackson, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Jacksonville corporate communications office.
Egmont Key, home of historic Fort Dade, lies north of Anna Maria Island in Tampa Bay. Its western shore was set to get sand dredged from 17 miles of the Tampa Harbor Egmont and Mullet Key channel cuts.
Egmont Key beach renourishment is halted due to turtle deaths. – Katie Field | Sun
The dredge removed about 100,000 cubic yards of material from the channel, completing about 25 percent of the dredging project. About 40,000 cubic yards of sand was placed on the beach at Egmont Key from Nov. 26 to Dec. 2, she said, adding that the channel is not yet in critical need of dredging, so the delay is not expected to cause problems with shipping.
Six turtles were “taken,” or killed, including three loggerheads and three Kemp’s ridleys, between Nov. 25-30 during the Tampa Harbor project, and were identified by two endangered species observers on board the dredge around the clock, she said.
The word “take,” defined by the federal Endangered Species Act, means to “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct.”
Egmont Key beach renourishment is stalled until spring or summer. – Katie Field | Sun
The Corps is permitted to take four loggerheads and three Kemp’s ridleys in all its Gulf of Mexico dredging projects from Oct. 1, 2018 through Sept. 30, 2019 under NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service regulations, Jackson said. Most takes are caused by dredge suction.
Egmont Key is a nesting ground for sea turtles, gopher tortoises and shorebirds, and is protected by state and federal law as Egmont Key State Park and Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge.
Sea turtles broke nesting records on Egmont the past two years, with the 2018 season that ended on Oct. 31 producing 150 nests, according to the Egmont Key Alliance.
The project was timed for winter in part to avoid sea turtles and allow wave action to naturally sort the sand and silt to make it suitable for the 2019 turtle nesting season, which begins May 1.
Medium levels of red tide are predicted through at least Monday, Dec. 10 on Anna Maria Island, according to the University of South Florida/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides.
The most recent FWC water samples available show these concentrations of red tide:
Not present or background: Mead Point at Perico Island, Dec. 4
Low: Rod and Reel Pier (Anna Maria), Dec. 3; Longboat Pass boat ramp (Sarasota Bay), Dec. 3
Medium levels: Palma Sola Bay bridge, Dec. 5.
Background concentrations of red tide cause no anticipated effects.
Very low levels can cause respiratory irritation.
Low levels can cause respiratory irritation, shellfish harvesting closures and possible fish kills.
Medium levels can cause respiratory irritation, shellfish harvesting closures and probable fish kills.
High levels can cause all of the above, plus water discoloration.
Respiratory irritation was reported Nov. 29 and Dec. 1-5 at Coquina Beach (Bradenton Beach) and Dec. 1-6 at Manatee Beach (Holmes Beach).
Fish kills also were reported in Manatee County over the past week.
Red tide is a type of algae that emits a neurotoxin when it blooms. Deadly to fish, sea turtles, marine mammals and shorebirds that feed on affected fish, red tide makes shellfish unfit to eat, and can cause respiratory irritation in people, especially those with asthma, COPD or other respiratory diseases.
The toxic algae bloom has been present in the southwest Gulf of Mexico for more than a year, reaching Anna Maria Island in early August.
Part of a true sportsman’s enjoyment of any sport is knowing you have won or lost while playing by the rules.
Florida’s duck hunting rules say that you can shoot at a duck on the wing during season, if you have a license, training, the right weapon and ammunition, and you’re on permitted lands.
Hunting is prohibited on Manatee County preserves, except for Duette Preserve.
But a few hunters are pushing the boundaries of the law, shooting at birds from the perimeter of Perico Preserve, disturbing neighbors and people in the preserve.
People enjoying some quiet time in their backyards feel compelled to go indoors when they hear gunshots, not knowing what’s going on. After all, in an age of mass shootings, gunshots don’t necessarily indicate hunting.
Photographers capturing a rare shot of a roseate spoonbill lose it when shotguns are fired.
Children ask their parents what that loud noise is as they walk the trails of Perico – it’s hard to explain to a child that it’s gunfire, and we have to leave now, even though we just got here.
It’s not what county environmental officials intended when they spent taxpayer money to restore Perico in a way that would attract birds to nest.
It’s not what teachers told schoolchildren who helped plant native vegetation intended to provide habitat for birds.
It’s not what the volunteers who do cleanups in the preserve signed up for – stumbling over duck carcasses with the breast meat removed.
With Duette Preserve offering hunting, why would any hunter with a sense of fair play choose to disturb and possibly endanger people at Perico and the bordering neighborhoods?
To have an unfair edge in a game invalidates the game.
Cheating a bird that doesn’t understand boundary lines is unfair at best, and arguably indefensible.
But frightening people into running for their cars when they were looking forward to a few precious moments in nature is downright foul.
PERICO PRESERVE – It’s a cool, sunny, Thanksgiving weekend day and you’re walking along the path at Perico Preserve looking at the butterflies and being thankful that there’s no red tide in the preserve when a shot rings out.
Four pelicans flush from the mangroves.
Another shot.
Two white egrets fly away from the sound.
Two more shots – then silence.
First Place
Lucy Morgan Award for In-Depth Reporting
2019
– Cindy Lane | Sun
A few moments later, doors slam on a dark pickup truck parked on Perico Isle Circle, just outside the preserve boundary, the engine starts, the tires squeal, and it’s gone.
What is happening at the preserve, created by Manatee County as a bird sanctuary?
According to county environmental officials, state wildlife officials, and neighbors of the preserve, duck hunting season is happening.
The season closed the last day of the Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 25, and reopens again on Saturday, Dec. 8, ending Sunday, Jan. 27.
Third Place
Environmental Writing
2020
“The last thing people are thinking is, ‘Maybe I should wear an orange vest on the boardwalk.’ ” – Charlie Hunsicker
It’s a constant frustration to county environmental officials, who have no law enforcement powers, said Charlie Hunsicker, director of the Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Department.
For seven months out of the year, between August and February, it is legal to hunt 28 bird species in Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC); each species has specific dates designating its season.
The juxtaposition of a densely populated neighborhood, a preserve that was built with birds in mind, and hunters shooting at the birds is worrisome at best, and tragic at worst, Hunsicker said.
“I am surprised we still allow hunting against residential neighborhoods in the name of sport where a catastrophic convergence of families and their pets meets up with people who appear in camouflage,” he said.
The county does not oppose hunting outright, Hunsicker said.
“We’re supportive of a well-managed hunting program like the one at Duette Preserve,” he said. The preserve is in east Manatee County, which is more sparsely populated than Perico Island, and offers hunting for deer, turkey, hog, quail and other species.
However, he said, “It’s contradictory that as long as you’re standing in state submerged land, you can hunt wherever you want. I hope there will never be an incident as a result.”
Robinson Preserve, from Perico Preserve, across Perico Bayou. – Cindy Lane | Sun
“Diametrically opposed activities can only be resolved in tragedy if both sides are not careful,” Hunsicker said. “The last thing people are thinking is, ‘Maybe I should wear an orange vest on the boardwalk.’ ”
Is it legal?
During Thanksgiving week, Elsbeth Frischmann heard the guns a couple of times a day, morning and evening, for four or five days in her home at Perico Island Condos, which overlooks Perico Bayou, between Perico Preserve and Robinson Preserve.
“They were so close, the birds flew away,” including brown ducks and mallards, she said.
If there is no ordinance against discharging a weapon within a certain distance of residences, or within city or county limits, game officers can’t prohibit it, FWC Officer Timothy Hinds said.
If duck hunters are properly licensed and trained, if they use the right weapon, if they wade, kayak or boat into Perico Bayou, which is state-owned submerged land, if they target birds on the wing that are in season, and if they use the proper ammunition, they are within the law, he said.
Lily pond – Cindy Lane | Sun
“That’s legal for them to do as long as they’re not shooting towards houses or over houses or at power lines,” he said.
The proper weapon and ammunition for duck hunting is shotguns and birdshot, which does not travel as far as bullets, he said, but still falls, potentially on people.
“It would be very troubling to have bird shot raining down on their head,” he said. “It’s got to be done in a safe manner. It’s a populated area.”
Whether a bird can be targeted or not is all about boundaries, Hinds said.
“The birds are either in the preserve or not,” he said.
Birds that can be hunted in Florida during specified seasons
Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Hunters are not allowed to shoot into the preserve, but if their birds fall on the preserve they can retrieve them, Hinds said.
Hunters do come into the preserve to retrieve their prey, Hunsicker said; people find carcasses left behind after the breast meat has been carved out.
Is it fair to target birds living in a bird sanctuary when they fly outside its boundaries?
“Some of the best hunting land is near designated wildlife refuges because the populations are healthy there,” Hinds said.
For the birds
Perico Preserve opened on May 14, 2016 – International Migratory Bird Day – highlighting its purpose as a rookery.
– Cindy Lane | Sun
The 176-acre Manatee County preserve touts its bird sanctuary status in signage, prohibiting dogs, which are bird predators, and prohibiting bicycles in a portion of the preserve where bird nesting is encouraged. The county also built an island in a lake in the preserve with poles for osprey to nest in.
“We have a preserve that we’ve worked very hard to establish, and a bird sanctuary should not be available to anyone shooting guns, whether they’re near or on the property, because that is near the nesting we’re working hard to protect,” said Sandra Ripberger, of the Sierra Club Manatee-Sarasota Group, suggesting that a citizens watch group could be formed to monitor hunting.
Bradenton Beach-based Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Inc. releases rehabilitated birds at Perico Preserve, Gail Straight said.
“I’m not totally opposed to people hunting, as long as they’re eating what they’re hunting. My big problem is you’ve got people all over the place and kids playing and condos; one stray bullet could go through windows and cars,” she said. “There’s a million places you can go hunting for ducks.”
“It’s pretty dangerous to invite people into a preserve to walk and hike and observe wildlife and plant life and fire a firearm,” said Merrie Lynn Parker, with the Manatee Fish and Game Association.
Gopher tortoise – Cindy Lane | Sun
The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program has spent $8,000 to coordinate volunteer native planting events at Perico Preserve, said Darcy Young, director of planning and communications.
The Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP) is funding exotic plant control on a parcel of land that will connect Perico Preserve with Robinson Preserve, spokeswoman Maya Burke said.
When TBEP was rewriting its comprehensive management plan in 2016-17, they included the issue of hunting near preserves, which was starting to happen in Hillsborough County.
“One of the strategies was the need to better understand and address it,” she said.
“At restoration projects, hunters use these areas, and hikers find it disconcerting,” Burke said. “Local governments are ill equipped to address these user conflicts. The region needs to work on this issue.”
No active initiatives exist to connect local law enforcement, FWC and preserve managers, she said.
Whose job is it?
The FWC’s law enforcement officers focus on game violations, Hinds said, and if there are any other legal issues, other law enforcement agencies have jurisdiction.
It’s not easy to know who to call to report gunshots near a preserve.
“It might take something tragic or a massive public outcry to prompt the Legislature to act.” – Michael Elswick, manager of the Manatee County Parks and Recreation Department
Frischmann contacted Damon Moore, with the county parks department, who looked into the issue.
He found that hunters are allowed to carry their guns into the preserve and even clean them on the picnic tables, as long as they don’t shoot within the preserve, where hunting is prohibited, Moore said.
The state has prohibited local governments from regulating firearms, so the county can’t say “no guns in the preserve,” said Michael Elswick, manager of Manatee County’s Parks and Natural Resources Department, adding that hunters have been observed in boats against the mangrove tree line firing over the water in Perico Bayou.
Mangrove – Cindy Lane | Sun
“We can prohibit hunting in the preserve, but not the carrying of firearms,” he said. “We’re waiting for someone to shoot onto private property” or be caught hunting in the preserve to call law enforcement.
Parts of Perico Island fall under the Bradenton Police Department’s (BPD) jurisdiction and other parts fall under the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), including Frischmann’s neighborhood. Her homeowners association has a video camera at the entrance of the condos that might have captured a license plate number of hunters parking in the neighborhood, but there have been no complaints filed, according to the office.
Mangrove butterfly – Cindy Lane | Sun
“If they’re discharging a firearm in a neighborhood, call 911, suggested BPD Capt. Brian Thiers. “They can tell whether you are in the city or county.”
The City of Bradenton has an ordinance against discharging a firearm within city limits, referring to Florida Statute 790.15, he said, adding that BPD enforces that law.
If the agency gets a call on gunshots fired within the city limits near the preserve, they would respond, and also call FWC, he said.
“We rely on people to let us know,” MCSO Public Information Officer Randy Warren said. “Call us. Get a description of the vehicle. We can start a paper trail. We will put patrols out to look at it. Never hesitate to call law enforcement if something is of concern,” he said.
Law enforcement needs to make sure shooters are not doing something other than hunting, he said.
That prospect disturbs Hunsicker.
“How can you tell if it’s a shotgun or rifle? This bothers me to no end, knowing that most pistol or rifle rounds would carry a lethal trajectory into the surrounding homes of Perico and as far away as Flamingo Cay and traffic on State Road 64,” he said.
Regulations for an urban preserve like Perico should be different than for uninhabited or sparsely populated areas, Elswick said.
“You’re regulating the Ten Thousand Islands the same way you’re regulating a highly visited preserve,” he said, noting that hunting is a highly-charged issue with the gun rights lobby.
“It might take something tragic or a massive public outcry to prompt the Legislature to act.”
- Cindy Lane | Sun
White egret - Cindy Lane | Sun
Saltbush - Cindy Lane | Sun
Mangrove - Cindy Lane | Sun
Mangrove butterfly - Cindy Lane | Sun
Pied-billed grebe - Cindy Lane | Sun
Water lilies - Cindy Lane | Sun
Muhly grass, slash pine - Cindy Lane | Sun
Slash pine - Cindy Lane | Sun
Saw palmetto - Cindy Lane | Sun
Robinson Preserve, from Perico Preserve, across Perico Bayou. - Cindy Lane | Sun
Gopher tortoise, with bird nesting island in background - Cindy Lane | Sun
The red tide forecast for Anna Maria Island is high through Monday, Dec. 3, according to the University of South Florida/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides.
The Nov. 30 FWC report shows low concentrations of red tide in water samples collected on Nov. 26 at the Rod and Reel Pier in Anna Maria and at Longboat Pass boat ramp in Sarasota Bay. Medium levels were found at Cortez Beach in Bradenton Beach and at the Palma Sola Bay bridge.
Dead fish still wash up on Island beaches, but not in the quantities they did when the outbreak began in early August. – Cindy Lane | Sun
Respiratory irritation was reported Nov. 22-23 and Nov. 25-29 at Coquina Beach (Bradenton Beach) and Nov. 24-28 at Manatee Beach (Holmes Beach).
Fish kills also were reported in Manatee County over the past week.
Background concentrations of red tide cause no anticipated effects. Low levels can cause respiratory irritation, shellfish harvesting closures and possible fish kills. Medium levels can cause respiratory irritation, shellfish harvesting closures and probable fish kills. High levels can cause all of the above, plus water discoloration.
Red tide is a type of algae that emits a neurotoxin when it blooms. Deadly to fish, sea turtles, marine mammals and shorebirds that feed on affected fish, red tide makes shellfish unfit to eat, and can cause respiratory irritation in people, especially those with asthma, COPD or other respiratory diseases.
The toxic algae bloom has been present in the southwest Gulf of Mexico for more than a year, reaching Anna Maria Island in early August.
HOLMES BEACH – Holmes Beach city officials are aware of the dead fish floating in some of Holmes Beach’s residential canals and they are working to rectify the situation.
One of the most visible instances is in the canal along Marina Drive, near 63rd Street.
On Friday, Nov. 23, outgoing Holmes Beach Mayor Bob Johnson said members of the city’s Public Works Department would be out in the city boat Saturday morning removing dead fish from canals. He said the fish removed would be placed in a designated dumpster and pick up by WastePro by noon on Saturday.
“We’re working on it. What we’ve been doing is picking these things up every couple days because they’ve been at different places at different times, depending on which way the wind blows. The other side of that is getting rid of the fish, so we have a dumpster service that we use. We don’t leave them in the dumpster overnight because that also causes problems,” Johnson said.
“They’re trying to keep up with it,” Police Chief Bill Tokajer later added.
Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy said he hadn’t received any reports of dead fish floating in Anna Maria’s canals. He said if he gets any reports of that nature he would reach out to the Cortez commercial fishermen who earlier this year assisted the city with its red tide-related shoreline cleanup efforts along South Bay Boulevard.
Captain’s concerns
On Thursday, Nov. 22, Holmes Beach resident and charter fishing captain Scott Moore suggested at his Facebook page that it would be smart for the city of Holmes Beach to remove the dead fish as soon as possible because that would benefit the Island’s residents and visitors. He also stated his view that it’s more environmentally sound to remove the fish quickly rather than allowing them to sink to the bottom and decompose.
When contacted Friday, Moore said, “Most of them are mullet, it’s a shame. As soon as those fish pop up, they need to get them. They shouldn’t wait until they’re half-rotted because once they start to decay and rot that puts nutrients back in the water that can help regenerate red tide.”
Moore said these views were shaped in part by scientific opinions cited at a meeting he attended after the red tide blooms began appearing near Anna Maria Island in early August.
“Hopefully they can clean that up because it’s hard on the tourism. I’m not complaining about Holmes Beach, I know they’re limited. A month ago, Holmes Beach workers came down and cleaned up my canal,” Moore said.
Moore said he was also aware of dead fish floating in other nearby residential canals, including canals in Key Royale and Seaside Gardens.
On a more positive note, Moore said the water on the Gulf side looked good.
“The beach is beautiful. The water at 28th Street is beautiful. It’s only on the bay side, and some in Palma Sola too. I caught a lot of fish in the river near Terra Ceia this week. The water there was good,” Moore said.
Social media commentary
On Wednesday, Nov. 21, Anna Maria resident Cheri Sackett initiated a Facebook conversation that started with her post that said, “The canal by 63rd St. is littered with dead fish again.”
On Wednesday, Anna Maria resident Cheri Sackett posted this on her Facebook page, which then generated responses from several other users. – Facebook | Submitted
Facebook user Rich Bell noted this is something Island visitors would notice when visiting or passing through Holmes Beach.
“Go net the canal,” he suggested.
Brett Nance posted a response that said he cruised in his boat and spotted several large dead fish floating in the canals and by the Kingfish Boat Ramp too.
A few Facebook users commented on how the lingering red tide is affecting their respiratory health and the unpleasant smell it created at times.
According the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website, the red tide levels offshore of Manatee County between Nov. 15 and Nov. 21 remained within 5 percent (positive or negative) of the levels recorded the previous week.
High levels of patchy red tide are predicted through at least Monday, Nov. 26 around Anna Maria Island, with medium levels to the north and south of the Island, according to the University of South Florida/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides.
The Nov. 23 FWC report shows high concentrations of red tide in water samples collected on Nov. 19 at Longboat Pass boat ramp in Sarasota Bay. Medium levels were found on Nov. 19 at Cortez Beach in Bradenton Beach and the Rod and Reel Pier in Anna Maria, with medium levels at School Key on Nov. 20, high levels at Mead Point in lower Tampa Bay on Nov. 20 and low levels at the Palma Sola Bay bridge on Nov. 19.
Respiratory irritation was reported Nov. 13-19 at Coquina Beach (Bradenton Beach) and Nov. 15-17 at Manatee Beach (Holmes Beach).
Fish kills also were reported in Manatee County over the past week.
Background concentrations of red tide cause no anticipated effects. Low levels can cause respiratory irritation, shellfish harvesting closures and possible fish kills. Medium levels can cause respiratory irritation, shellfish harvesting closures and probable fish kills. High levels can cause all of the above, plus water discoloration.
Red tide is a type of algae that emits a neurotoxin when it blooms. Deadly to fish, sea turtles, marine mammals and shorebirds that feed on affected fish, red tide makes shellfish unfit to eat, and can cause respiratory irritation in people, especially those with asthma, COPD or other respiratory diseases.
The toxic algae bloom has been present in the southwest Gulf of Mexico for the past year, reaching Anna Maria Island in early August. It was detected in Florida’s Atlantic Ocean waters in October.
CORTEZ – Boy Scout Matthew Kurutz wants to earn the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest accomplishment in the organization, and he plans to build bridges to do it.
Three bridges, in fact – all of them foot bridges over water in the FISH Preserve in Cortez. He also plans to remove some non-native Brazilian pepper trees.
Foot bridges in the FISH Preserve in Cortez are in need of replacement. – Matthew Kurutz | Submitted
The FISH Preserve is a 95-acre preserve on Sarasota Bay at the east end of the historic fishing village of Cortez. Proceeds from Cortez Commercial Fishing Festivals since 1981 have funded purchase of the land, bit by bit, and volunteers with the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage are responsible for overseeing its restoration to a native state.
Matt, a Bayshore High School 10th grader, set up a table at the last fishing festival in February to raise funds for materials to build the bridges, including Trex decking, a low maintenance, composite wood alternative.
He also has worked to raise funds at the Cortez Cultural Center, mentored by Kaye Bell and Bob Landry, and at the Cortez Nautical Flea Market last month. He is planning more fundraising activities at other local venues.
In addition to fundraising, Matt is responsible for planning the project, recruiting two groups of six to eight helpers each and executing the plan. A contractor will supervise the project, said his dad, Steve Kurutz.
A scout for seven years, including Cub Scouts, Matt is a violinist with the Bayshore High School orchestra and is a Junior ROTC member. His interests include agriculture and working as a fish and wildlife officer.
HOLMES BEACH – Student artists in Mary Miller’s fifth grade class at Anna Maria Elementary School will soon see their artwork on signs posted on Anna Maria Island beaches to educate people about why it’s important to stay off sand dunes.
The artists were treated to a reception on Thursday, Nov. 15 at the Waterline Marina Resort, where more than 50 of their masterpieces were on display.
Signs like this soon will be installed at Coquina Beach and Cortez Beach to alert people to keep off the sand dunes. – Cindy Lane | Sun
Walking over dunes crushes native plants that hold the dunes together and erodes the dunes, which provide a barrier against storm-driven high tides, according to the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, which provided funds for the project to Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring.
Gulf Drive alongside Coquina Beach and Cortez Beach, where the first signs will be posted, is particularly susceptible to flooding, and is the hurricane evacuation route for Longboat Key and Bradenton Beach. Ropes and bollards protect the dunes there, but have not deterred all beachgoers from walking across them instead of using beach walkovers, Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie said.
With the theme of “Choose the right path,” the signs will illustrate why using walkovers is preferred, both for erosion control and for wildlife, like sea turtles, shorebirds and even beach mice.
The artwork will be enlarged to make about 60 18- by 24-inch signs. Signs will be available for beachfront vacation rental owners who would like to purchase them for $50 each to help educate visitors about the importance of not disturbing dunes. For more information, call Turtle Watch at 941-778-5638.
It’s been a tough couple of years for Florida manatees.
So far this year, 714 manatees have died, compared to 538 in 2017, out of about 6,000 estimated to live in Florida waters, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
Red tide has been active in Gulf and inland waters in Southwest Florida since last October, killing 67 of the 714 manatees, with red tide suspected in the deaths of 121 others. Nine were found in Manatee County.
The red tide neurotoxin causes manatees to have seizures that can result in drowning. If rescued in time, most manatees can recover, so report a sick manatee (muscle twitches, lack of coordination, labored breathing, an inability to maintain body orientation) immediately to the FWC Hotline at 1-888-404-3922, or email Tip@MyFWC.com. Use VHF Channel 16 on a marine radio.
To survive, manatees in Florida waters also have to avoid eating red tide-poisoned seagrass, flee cold water, escape from people who climb on them and ride on their backs, and dodge boat propellers.
Last year, 107 manatees died from boat strikes in Florida last year, with 98 so far this year, according to the FWC.
Boats accidents prompted former Florida Gov. Bob Graham to make November Manatee Awareness Month in 1979.
As the official state marine mammals head from the Gulf of Mexico, rivers and bays to the warmer winter waters of springs, boaters should be careful to note speed zones that take effect in November.
To help protect manatees, follow these tips:
Obey posted signs for manatee slow-speed zones.
Wear polarized sunglasses to see manatees in your path.
If you observe a manatee mating herd – several manatees gathered as males vie to mate with a female – watch from at least 100 feet away. Coming any closer might disrupt the mating or endanger you; adult manatees typically weigh more than 1,000 pounds.
Never feed or water manatees as they will become habituated to people, which could put them at risk of injury.
Stow trash and line when underway. Marine debris that blows overboard can become ingested by or entangled around manatees.
Contact the FWC Wildlife Alert hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922):
If you see a manatee with a pink or red (fresh) wound.
If the manatee is tilting to one side, unable to submerge or seems to have trouble breathing.
If you see someone separating a mother from her calf.
If you see a manatee calf by itself with no adults around for an extended period of time.
If you see someone harassing a manatee in any way.
If you see boaters speeding in a protected area.
If you see a manatee entangled in monofilament, crab-trap lines or other debris.
If you see a dead manatee.
Free shoreline property signs, boating banners, decals, waterway cards and educational posters are available at Save the Manatee Club.
EGMONT KEY – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is supplying the weapons in the only battle Fort Dade has ever seen – the one against erosion.
Historic Egmont Key is slated to receive sand to shore up what’s left of the 1899 fort when the Tampa Bay shipping channel is dredged for maintenance beginning this month.
The $10 million project should take about five months to complete.
Egmont’s beaches will not get the high-quality white beach sand recently collected from shoals to its north; that is being used to renourish Pinellas County beaches, according to Pinellas County spokeswoman Ashley Johnson.
Egmont Key, north of Anna Maria Island, will get the sand dredged from 17 miles of the Tampa Harbor Egmont and Mullet Key channel cuts, according to Susan Jackson, of the Corps’ Jacksonville corporate communications office.
The sand will be placed in the middle of Egmont Key’s west side, which faces the Gulf of Mexico, then the project will move to the north end of the island and make its way south, according to the project description.
The dredged material “can be beneficially placed on Egmont Key rather than at a dredge disposal site,” she said.
Nature preserve
The key is protected by both state and federal law as Egmont Key State Park and Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge, and is a nesting ground for shorebirds and sea turtles, as well as a gopher tortoise preserve.
But the animals don’t seem to mind about the quality of the dredged sand, said Richard Sanchez, president of the Egmont Key Alliance, a citizens’ group working to restore and preserve the key.
Egmont has been renourished with dredged material from the shipping channel before, and sea turtles broke nesting records the last two years, with the 2018 season that ended on Oct. 31 producing 150 nests, he said.
Placing the sand in the early part of the winter season provides time for wave action on the beach to naturally sort the sand and silt, project biologist Aubree Hershorin said, adding, “This is important, because it ensures the beach is as suitable as possible for nesting sea turtles that will begin using the area in April.”
Erosion problem
Egmont Key was used by the U.S. Army to detain Seminole prisoners at the end of the third Seminole War in 1858, and was occupied by both Confederate and Union troops during the Civil War. It later became the site of Fort Dade, begun in 1899 to defend against Spanish attack during the Spanish-American War.
The fort, completed in 1906, served its defensive purpose so well that no battles were ever fought there.
But it has been losing the battle against the Gulf and its storms; parts of the fort are submerged.
The dredge project “will put another Band-Aid on it,” Sanchez said.
Erosion control geotubes installed on the north end of Egmont seem to be holding the Gulf at bay there, he said, although Hurricane Irma moved some of the sand off the north tip in 2017.
A $13 million Corps plan to control erosion and renourish Egmont Key has been in limbo for years, he said. Despite all the required agency approvals being in place, it’s hard to justify funds for a largely-uninhabited nature preserve when people need funds to rebuild from hurricanes, he said.
The island is a temporary home for the Tampa Bay Pilots who maintain living quarters at their docks, where pilot boats transport them to tankers entering and leaving Tampa Bay.
A lighthouse keeper also has quarters on the key. The working lighthouse dates to 1858, and replaced the original lighthouse built 10 years earlier. It is operated by the U.S. Coast Guard as an aid to navigation.
Egmont Key was named for John Perceval, the second Earl of Egmont and a member of the Irish House of Commons who died in 1770. The title “Earl of Egmont” died with the death of the childless Thomas Frederick Gerald Perceval, the 12th Earl of Egmont, in 2011.
The island has been the property of the U.S. Department of the Interior since 1974. Prior to that, it was owned by the U.S. Department of Defense, previously known as the U.S. Department of War. The key has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978.
Medium levels of patchy red tide are predicted through at least Monday, Nov. 19 around Anna Maria Island, with high levels to the north and south of the Island, according to the University of South Florida/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides.
The Nov. 16 FWC report shows medium concentrations of red tide in water samples collected on Nov. 13 in the Gulf of Mexico at Longboat Pass boat ramp in Sarasota Bay, Cortez Beach in Bradenton Beach, the Rod and Reel Pier in Anna Maria, School Key and Mead Point in lower Tampa Bay and at the Palma Sola Bay bridge.
Fish kills also were reported in Manatee County over the past week.
Background concentrations of red tide cause no anticipated effects. Low levels can cause respiratory irritation, shellfish harvesting closures and possible fish kills. Medium levels can cause respiratory irritation, shellfish harvesting closures and probable fish kills. High levels can cause all of the above, plus water discoloration.
Red tide is a type of algae that emits a neurotoxin when it blooms. Deadly to fish, sea turtles, marine mammals and shorebirds that feed on affected fish, red tide makes shellfish unfit to eat, and can cause respiratory irritation in people, especially those with asthma, COPD or other respiratory diseases.
The toxic algae bloom has been spreading in the southwest Gulf of Mexico for the past year, reaching Anna Maria Island in early August. It was detected in Florida’s east coast waters in October.
High levels of red tide are forecast through at least Monday, Nov. 12 in waters around Anna Maria Island, according to the University of South Florida/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides.
The Nov. 9 report shows high concentrations of red tide in water samples collected on Nov. 5 in the Gulf of Mexico at Longboat Pass boat ramp in Sarasota Bay, with medium concentrations at Cortez Beach in Bradenton Beach, the Rod and Reel Pier in Anna Maria and at School Key in lower Tampa Bay. No red tide was found at the Palma Sola Bay bridge.
Respiratory irritation was reported on Oct. 31, Nov. 2-3, Nov. 5-7 at Coquina Beach (Bradenton Beach) and Oct. 31, Nov. 3 and Nov. 5-8 at Manatee Beach (Holmes Beach).
Fish kills also were reported in Manatee County over the past week.
Background concentrations of red tide cause no anticipated effects. Low levels can cause respiratory irritation, shellfish harvesting closures and possible fish kills. Medium levels can cause respiratory irritation, shellfish harvesting closures and probable fish kills. High levels can cause all of the above, plus water discoloration.
Red tide is a type of algae that emits a neurotoxin when it blooms. Deadly to fish, sea turtles, marine mammals and shorebirds that feed on affected fish, red tide makes shellfish unfit to eat, and can cause respiratory irritation in people, especially those with asthma, COPD or other respiratory diseases.
The toxic algae bloom has been spreading in the southwest Gulf of Mexico for the past year, reaching Anna Maria Island in early August. It was detected in Florida’s east coast waters in October.
Families and friends are invited to celebrate young environmental artists from Anna Maria Elementary at a reception on Thursday, Nov. 15 from 4-5 p.m. at the Waterline Marina Resort pool, 5325 Marina Drive in Holmes Beach.
The students have drawn more than 50 masterpieces selected for best depicting the importance of saving the sand dunes on the beach for wildlife, said Suzi Fox, director of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring.
The artwork will be posted on informational signs at dune walkovers on Anna Maria Island, and will be printed on notecards.
Turtle Watch volunteers and Anna Maria Elementary teachers and staff will be on hand to congratulate the artists, along with Darcy Young, representing the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, which awarded the art project grant to Turtle Watch.
The Nov. 16 FWC report shows medium concentrations of red tide in water samples collected on Nov. 13 in the Gulf of Mexico at Longboat Pass boat ramp in Sarasota Bay, Cortez Beach in Bradenton Beach, the Rod and Reel Pier in Anna Maria, School Key and Mead Point in lower Tampa Bay and at the Palma Sola Bay bridge.
