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Tag: red tide

Reel Time: The smoking gun

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

Local anglers feared from the beginning that the release of over 215 million gallons of wastewater from the Piney Point debacle could have catastrophic effects on Tampa and Sarasota bays. The fact that each gallon of water held 10 times the nitrogen of raw sewage and that the total release was the equivalent of dumping 200 tons of nitrogen (80,000 bags of fertilizer) in the bay was ominous.

Compounding the worrying scenario was the fact that for the second time in as many years, huge swaths of grass meadows from Robinson Preserve to Anna Maria Sound and Sarasota Bay were covered in an algae called lyngbya, a toxic cyanobacteria. That bloom wasn’t caused by the release at Piney Point, but the potential that the release could exacerbate the existing bloom loomed large and would eventually prove likely, as the extent of the bloom was much larger than the year before.

Then on May 24, marine researchers from the University of South Florida, in what now appears to be an ill-timed news release, stated:

  • Early results indicate that the effects of the wastewater discharge were localized in nature, not widespread.
  • Concentrations of nutrients have declined over time and are now more typical of those in the historical record for this part of Tampa Bay. Model results show that the concentrations of nutrients within the discharged water have been diluted at least 1000-fold since the initial release.
  • A diatom bloom of about 25 square kilometers in size around Port Manatee that formed in response to the discharge has dissipated over time. Diatoms are single-celled microalgae called phytoplankton. Chlorophyll concentrations (a proxy for phytoplankton biomass) are within the range generally observed in Tampa Bay during April and May.

Just this past week a severe red tide outbreak in upper Tampa Bay has called all those predictions into question. In the same news release, to their credit, they did state, “The nutrient chemistry of Tampa Bay is complex. Questions remain about nutrient cycling in response to a rapid influx of wastewater.”  Now the current bloom is proving what amounts to, in minds of longtime users of the bay like Captain Scott Moore, a “smoking gun.” Moore, who has fished from Sarasota Bay to Port Manatee and beyond since 1970, states categorically, “In all the years I’ve been fishing I’ve never seen a red tide event in that part of the bay that didn’t affect Anna Maria Sound and Sarasota Bay first. Traditionally I fished north of the Skyway because those were rarely affected by all but the most severe blooms.”

This snook was just one of a multitude of fish including tripletail, cobia, redfish, mullet and a plethora of baitfish and other species that succumbed to Tampa’s red tide outbreak. – Captain Dustin Pack | Submitted

My experience over the last three-plus decades bears that out. Jacki Lopez, Florida Director of The Center for Biological Diversity agrees. Lopez reviewed the records of red tide occurrences over the last 20 years and says, “The red tide data collected over the years by FWC appears to indicate that it is rare to have red tide in Tampa Bay, and rarer yet to have red tide persisting in Tampa Bay without a massive red tide bloom throughout the region. The timing of the Piney Point discharge and the presence of red tide in Tampa Bay, especially so close to Piney Point seems to suggest that the discharge influenced this ongoing red tide event.”

The uncertainty and confusion demonstrate our lack of understanding and failure to act. While red tide events are tracked by satellite, other blooms like lyngbya don’t show up in satellite imagery, which is how scientists model for the predictions they make. This means many harmful algae blooms are not picked up by monitoring programs.

The need for a swift and quantum shift in tracking and addressing these nutrients has never been greater. Are we willing to risk reaching a point of no return or will we address these dire warnings before it’s too late?

Piney Point-algae link explored

Piney Point-algae link explored

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Algae, Featured, Outdoors.

TAMPA BAY – The discharge of 215 million gallons of polluted water from Piney Point into Tampa Bay in March and April probably exacerbated the natural growth of toxic algae, bay managers say.

Contrary to researchers at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science in St. Petersburg, officials at the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program and the Tampa Bay Estuary Program agree there is a link between the nutrients in the discharged water and current algae blooms.

The water was intentionally released from March 30 to April 9 to prevent the collapse of a compromised gypsum stack that held a wastewater retention pond at the top. A total collapse could have resulted in a worse spill that threatened to flood nearby homes and businesses, which were evacuated during the event.

Since then, multiple agencies testing local waters have reported blooms of red tide algae and of lyngbya, a type of blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria. Other finds include trichodesmium, another type of cyanobacteria, and brown algae. Red tide produces a brevetoxin, while blue-green algae produces a cyanotoxin; both toxins can be dangerous to people and marine life, and both algae species feed on the phosphorus and nitrogen in the discharged water.

Anna Maria Sound is in dire condition, according to Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth, one of many local residents who are sounding the alarm.

“I have never in 58 years seen it this sick,” she said. “There is no life.”

Fishing guides have long frequented Tampa Bay waters between the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and Port Manatee, where the discharge occurred, said Rusty Chinnis, The Sun’s outdoor columnist.

“There was never red tide there, and now there is,” he said. “I believe it’s a smoking gun.”

Lyngbya is not a new occurrence locally, but has been worsened by the Piney Point spill, he said.

“Did the Piney Point spills cause the lyngbya blooms or red tide problems we’re seeing? No. But are the nutrients from those discharges likely making it worse? Yes,” said Dr. David Tomasko, executive director of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program.

“Piney Point added about 200 tons of nitrogen and about 100 tons of phosphorus to our local waters,” he said. “We don’t know where it all went, but it appears that a substantial amount of that nitrogen could have ended up in the macroalgae we are now seeing throughout Anna Maria Sound.”

Algae blooms have been appearing and shifting in Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico since shortly after the Piney Point discharge, according to Ed Sherwood, executive director of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program.

“I suspect that these different blooms are capitalizing on the 200+ tons of nitrogen circulating in Tampa Bay, upper Sarasota Bay and the nearshore Gulf beaches stemming from the original discharge event,” he said. “That is, the nutrients are now cycling though the bay’s ecology and the latest red tide and lyngbya blooms are a manifestation of more nutrients being available in these waters in comparison to a ‘normal’ dry season.”

Dr. Kristen Buck, chemical oceanographer at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science in St. Petersburg, disagrees.

“At this point we simply do not have data to support a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the Piney Point discharge and the occurrence of the red tide, which is of course being detected at several sites within Tampa Bay but also along parts of the Gulf coast,” she said. “Nutrient chemistry in seawater is a complex issue, and this is certainly true for Tampa Bay. Red tides are also a complex phenomenon.”

As water quality decreases, the spotlight is on responsibility for the damage.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has advised the owners of Piney Point, HRK Holdings LLC, that the state’s emergency order regarding the incident has expired and that “the company is expected to meet its legal responsibilities as site owner and operator to manage the site to ensure the integrity of the stack system and protect the health, safety and welfare of the public and the environment. DEP remains committed to its stringent regulatory oversight of the facility and to holding HRK accountable for the recent events at the site through all possible legal means.”

HRK filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2011 after an accidental spill of wastewater from Piney Point into Tampa Bay.

Red tide advisory issued

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Featured.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The Florida Department of Health in Manatee County has issued a red tide advisory for Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key.

Low levels of red tide persist in Manatee County, and fish kills were reported at the 59th Street canal in Holmes Beach on May 18, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission weekly report.

Low concentrations were detected at the Rod & Reel Pier in Anna Maria and the Holmes Beach Boat Ramp.

Very low concentrations were detected in water samples at School Key (Key Royale on Anna Maria Island) and the Longboat Pass Boat Ramp.

Background concentrations of the toxic algae were detected at the Palma Sola Bay bridge.

Red tide produces a neurotoxin called brevetoxin that can cause respiratory irritation, coughing, and more serious illness for people with severe or chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma, emphysema or COPD, according to the Florida Department of Health. Health officials recommend that people experiencing symptoms stay away from the water, go inside to an air-conditioned space, or wear masks, especially during onshore winds. Residents may consider wearing masks, especially if onshore winds are blowing.

No red tide-related respiratory irritation was reported over the past week in Manatee County.

Consuming shellfish exposed to red tide can cause neurotoxic shellfish poisoning. Health officials also warn against swimming near dead fish, and advise keeping pets away from dead fish and sea foam, which can contain high concentrations of algae. Pets are not allowed on Anna Maria Island’s beaches, but are allowed on the Palma Sola Causeway on Manatee Avenue.

Environmental officials say that the nutrients phosphorus and nitrogen, which feed toxic red tide algae blooms, were present in the 215 million gallons of polluted water discharged last month into Tampa Bay at Port Manatee from one of the closed Piney Point phosphate plant’s retention ponds, built into a gypsum stack. The emergency release, which ended April 9, took pressure off the compromised stack, avoiding its collapse and a more serious spill. The polluted water is spreading in Tampa Bay and its estuaries and into the Gulf of Mexico, according to the University of South Florida College of Marine Science.

Lyngbya bloom clogging bays, ICW

Blue-green algae bloom clogging bays, ICW

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Algae, Environment, Outdoors.

Nutrients and warming temperatures are feeding a bloom of blue-green algae called Lyngbya in area waters, according to scientists with Manatee County.

As has been the case over the last two years, Lyngbya is accumulating in the waters of Robinson Preserve and in the Intracoastal Waterway, Sarasota Bay and Tampa Bay, according to a report by county environmental scientists distributed to county commissioners by Acting County Administrator Scott Hopes last week.

Excessive Lyngbya, a cyanobacterium, is common locally when warm temperatures combine with nutrient-rich waters to form mats, according to the report.

The nutrients phosphorus and nitrogen were contained in the 215 million gallons of polluted water released into Tampa Bay at Port Manatee last month from one of the closed Piney Point phosphate plant’s gyp stack retention ponds. An accidental leak detected on March 26 led to the intentional discharge that ended April 9 and kept the stack from collapsing.

Contact with Lyngbya can result in itching, burning, pain, rash, blisters and cell death, resulting in loss of superficial layers of the skin, according to the report. Airborne toxins from the algae can cause eye and respiratory irritation.

Excessive growth of lyngbya can result in damage to seagrass beds and oyster bars, foul odors, oxygen depletion in the water and fish kills. It also can cause harmful algal blooms such as red tide, also associated with detrimental human health effects. Low levels of red tide were reported last week in Manatee County by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The mats are formed when naturally-occurring Lyngbya on the bay bottom is exposed to increased temperatures, sunlight and nutrients, causing rapid growth, according to the report. Longer days and clear water conditions cause Lyngbya to rapidly produce oxygen, causing bubbles to form and become embedded in its filaments, which makes the algae float to the surface to be carried by tides and winds, sometimes forming mats. Accumulations often increase along shorelines, like Robinson Preserve.

“It is not feasible to remove the extraordinary biomass of Lyngbya during these bloom events on a bay-wide scale,” the report states. “The scale at which removal would have to occur in such a large and open system is not likely feasible and cost prohibitive.”

No cyanotoxins – the neurotoxins produced by blue-green algae – were detected in water samples taken in Tampa Bay on May 4 in response to last month’s Piney Point discharge, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Results taken from samples on May 6 are pending.

Exposure to cyanotoxins can cause hay fever-like symptoms, skin rashes, respiratory and gastrointestinal distress, and, if consumed, liver and kidney damage, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Red tide detected in Manatee County

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Outdoors, Red tide.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Red tide has been detected in Manatee County in low concentrations for the first time since the Piney Point disaster earlier this month.

Red tide-related respiratory irritation was reported in Manatee County, and fish kills were reported in Sarasota County to the south, according to the most recent Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission weekly report.

Environmental officials say that the nutrients phosphorus and nitrogen, which feed toxic red tide algae blooms, were present in the 215 million gallons of polluted water discharged into Tampa Bay at Port Manatee from one of the inactive Piney Point phosphate plant’s retention ponds, built into a gypsum stack. The emergency release, which ended April 9, took pressure off the compromised stack to avoid an accidental spill of even more of its contents.

Florida red tide events over 6 months long

 

1952-53            8 months

1953-55           18 months

1980                  7 months

1995-97          17 months

1997-98             8 months

2001-02             8 months

2002-04           21 months

2004-06           17 months

2006-07           10 months

2012-13             8 months

2015-16             8 months

2016-17            8 months

2017-19          15 months

 

Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection reports that the red tide is “not thought to be a direct result of the Piney Point discharges, however, elevated nutrients have the potential to exacerbate these algal blooms, and increased sampling is ongoing.”

Low concentrations of red tide were found at Mead Point (Perico Island) in lower Tampa Bay, and very low concentrations were detected at the Rod & Reel Pier in Anna Maria, also in lower Tampa Bay, School Key (Key Royale), and the Longboat Pass boat ramp in Sarasota Bay.

Red tide produces a neurotoxin called brevetoxin that can cause respiratory irritation, coughing, and more serious illness for people with severe or chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma, emphysema or COPD, according to the Florida Department of Health. Health officials recommend that people experiencing symptoms stay away from the water, go inside to an air-conditioned space, or wear masks, especially during onshore winds.

Consuming shellfish exposed to red tide can cause neurotoxic shellfish poisoning.

Health officials also warn against swimming near dead fish, and advise keeping pets away from dead fish and seafoam, which can contain high concentrations of algae.

Pets are not allowed on Anna Maria Island’s beaches, but are allowed on the Palma Sola Causeway on Manatee Avenue leading to the Island.

Piney Point crisis averted, environmental concerns grow

Piney Point crisis averted; environmental concerns grow

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Community News.

PALMETTO – The wastewater discharge into Tampa Bay from a breached Piney Point retention pond near Port Manatee stopped Friday, April 9, but concerns are growing regarding the potential environmental impacts to Tampa Bay and other area waterways.

“We’re already seeing signs of an algae bloom in that area, captured through satellite imagery,” Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) Executive Director Dave Tomasko told Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth in an email last week. “There does appear to be an algae bloom about 10 square miles in size and it’s centered around Piney Point. We just don’t know where it’ll go, how big it will get and how long it will last.”

On Thursday, April 8, the Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach city commissions declared preemptive local states of emergency in anticipation of potential environmental impacts of the Piney Point discharge, which occurred less than 20 miles from Anna Maria Island. The city of Holmes Beach is expected to enact a similar declaration this week.

Last week, city, state and federal officials continued their response to the breached Piney Point phosphogypsum stack, which contains a retention pond that until recently held approximately 480 million gallons of water containing high levels of phosphorus and nitrate.

Formerly the site of a phosphate plant that first opened in 1966, Piney Point was purchased by HRK Holdings in 2006. In addition to the retention pond, the property also contains two additional compartments that contain 400 million gallons of more heavily polluted water.

The long-term plan is to treat the remaining water and build a nearby deep water injection well that in a few years will be used to inject the treated water deep into the Earth.

According to the Sunday, April 11 FDEP update on Piney Point, “Yesterday, 217 million gallons remained in the NGS-South compartment (the breached containment pond). The site received 0.6 inches of rain, thus increasing the volume in the compartment to 221 million gallons.”

According to the Saturday, April 10 update, “DEP deployed diving companies and submersible cameras that identified a seam separation on the east wall of the NGS-South. Dive operations have strategically placed a steel plate on the seam separation to temporarily repair this identified source of concentrated seepage. To date, 215 million gallons were discharged to the port.”

During a Tuesday, April 6 press conference, acting County Administrator Scott Hopes said,

“This is very much under control now. The risk has been lessened to the point that people will be able to return to their homes.”

Environmental concerns

The SBEP, Suncoast Waterkeeper and Tampa Bay Waterkeeper are among the organizations monitoring the potential environmental impacts.

“We are in the early stages of this, but it has the potential to be the worst environmental impact to our local waters in my career, which dates back to the 1980s,” SBEP’s Tomasko wrote Titsworth. “Early model runs suggest that over the next few days to weeks, the waters being discharged will make their way down along the southern shoreline of Tampa Bay and it is expected to enter into Terra Ceia Bay, the Manatee River, northern Anna Maria Sound and even Palma Sola Bay,” he wrote.

“Preliminary data from the discharges has given us nitrogen concentrations that are about 100 times as concentrated as urban stormwater runoff and about 10 times as concentrated as raw sewage. Just in the first few days, the load of nitrogen to the bay was equivalent to about 40,000 bags of fertilizer,” Tomasko wrote.

When contacted Saturday, Tomasko said the fertilizer equivalency was now closer to 70,000 bags of fertilizer.

Tomasko said he’s more concerned about other forms of algae blooms than he is about a potential red tide outbreak at this time. He said the algae blooms he’s most concerned about impact water clarity and water quality and could potentially lead to more manatee deaths and the potential loss of fishing habitats.

On April 7, the Suncoast and Tampa Bay Waterkeeper organizations issued a joint statement that in part said, “The current discharge of water is far exceeding water quality standards for the Tampa Bay Estuary and delivering excess nitrogen and phosphorus to bay waters. Both nutrients are known to fuel harmful algae blooms such as red tides. This disaster was preventable. Permit conditions were ignored, water accumulation was not addressed when state funds were available to remedy the conditions.”

FDEP updates and water quality sampling data can be found online.

State committee meeting

On Wednesday, April 7, FDEP Secretary Noah Valenstein appeared before the Florida House of Representatives’ Pandemics and Public Emergencies Committee to discuss Piney Point. He participated via web conferencing from the Emergency Operations Center in Bradenton and Hopes traveled to Tallahassee in person.

Regarding FDEP’s initial response, Valenstein said, “The department immediately set up intense monitoring for nearby freshwater bodies as well as Tampa Bay. That allowed us to have a very detailed baseline of water quality in the area to ensure that we can hold HRK fully accountable for any impact to our resources.”

In regard to holding HRK responsible, Valenstein said, “We are actively looking at our litigation options.”

When asked what lessons can be learned from the Piney Point crisis, Valenstein said, “Piney Point has a history as a legacy site of the state recognizing that it needs to come in, and that it’s the party with the funds to clean the site up. There’s always been sort of a partial clean-up, but not closure by the state. The first lesson is when you have the opportunity you need to close the site. This legislature, this department and this administration has the opportunity to make the decision to close the site fully and be done with it, as opposed to a partial closure and possible reinvention of the site with continued risk.”

Hopes shared a less optimistic view and said, “It’s unlikely a company like this has not structured themselves in a way that with Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 (bankruptcy) it’s going to be very difficult,” he said. “In the meantime, we have to be the parties that solve this problem permanently.”

Related coverage

 

Piney Point spill may have ripple effect on tourism

 

Reel Time: An unfolding tragedy

 

County says Piney Point crisis is “under control”

 

Coast Lines: First, do no harm

 

Reel Time: The price of inaction

 

Additional leaks suspected at Piney Point

 

Piney Point spill may have ripple effect on tourism

Piney Point spill may have ripple effect on tourism

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Business, Community News, Tourism.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The potential harm from the Piney Point wastewater spill could go beyond impacting water quality and wildlife to affecting tourism.

Some soon-to-be visitors from around the country are reconsidering their vacation plans due to fears brought on by the lack of solid information about the potential of a serious red tide event in the near future.

Piney Point is a closed phosphate plant in northern Manatee County with retention ponds built into gypsum stacks that contain polluted wastewater. A leak in one of these ponds was discovered last month, prompting a response from multiple state and federal agencies, including the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers. Officials identified a leak in a containment wall that put the structure at risk of collapsing, resulting in Gov. Ron DeSantis declaring a state of emergency and the county ordering the evacuation of more than 300 homes and businesses in the area for fear that a total collapse could cause a major flooding event.

Concerns among residents, environmental officials, and now, tourists, center around a potential red tide algae bloom. Red tide can kill marine life, cause the water to be murky and have an unpleasant odor, and pose a health threat to humans.

The Sun asked three people from three states about the Piney Point spill’s effect on their travel plans.

“We had to cancel last summer’s vacation to Anna Maria Island due to COVID. This summer we have a reservation for two weeks, and we may have to cancel it. I’m starting to think I’m bad luck for the Island,” said Darrah Gohring, of Marion, Ohio.

Gohring has been following the local and national news related to Piney Point very closely. Her family has been looking forward to what she described as “two weeks in paradise” ever since having to cancel last year. They are first-time visitors, and have already paid in advance for their rental near Bean Point.

“This probably wouldn’t be as much of an issue if it weren’t for the fact that both me and my daughter are severely asthmatic, and we really don’t want to wind up in the hospital,” Gohring said, emphasizing how excited her daughter has been over this family trip.

For now, the Gohring family is going to see if the rental owner will refund their payment. The owner doesn’t appear to be legally obligated to refund the payment, but Gohring is hoping the owner will be sympathetic to their unique situation. For now, the family will continue to follow the news, and intends to make a decision soon.

A father of two young children from Atlanta asked that we only use his first name, Clay. Along with his wife and two children, ages 2 and 5, Clay’s family vacation to the Bradenton Beach area is scheduled for June 26-July 3 and will be their first trip to the Island. Like others, Clay said the possibility of a red tide bloom due to the Piney Point spill is of serious concern to his family.

“We’ve done Panama City and some other beaches farther north, but this will be our first time to Anna Maria,” Clay said. When asked why he and his family chose AMI for this vacation, he said it was totally random. They Googled Florida beaches with white sand, clear water and a laid-back atmosphere, and Anna Maria Island kept popping up. It was enough for Clay to book with a good deal of confidence he had found the right place for his family to relax and enjoy the sun.

lay said that even though they are watching the situation closely, and may change their decision, for now, the trip is a green light and they plan to visit as scheduled. While Clay and others purchased travel insurance, it appears that as long as beaches are open and no evacuation order has been put in place, the insurance will not cover a cancellation.

Kim Reynolds, of Detroit, Mich., and her husband and college-age son and daughter are already here enjoying their vacation in Holmes Beach. The Reynolds family will be heading home Saturday, April 17.

“I feel really bad for people who have to make the tough decision of whether to risk it, and hope for the best, or possibly lose a lot of money canceling a non-refundable beach rental here on the Island. God knows it’s not cheap!” she said. “I’m a public school teacher, and we save our money all year to stay at a nice place and eat at nice restaurants when we visit Anna Maria. Suffering through the brutal Michigan winters is a little easier when the light at the end of the tunnel is a tropical paradise like this. I honestly don’t know what we would do if we were in that situation, but I have a feeling we would come regardless, and hope for the best.”

Gohring expressed a sentiment common among all three visitors – a genuine concern for local residents.

“I feel so bad for you guys; we are just coming for a couple of weeks, but you live there, this is your home,” Gohring said. “I really hope everything is ok and it’s far better than a worst-case scenario.”

Related coverage

 

Tourism statistics

Reel Time: A catalyst for change

Reel Time: A catalyst for change

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

When I asked Jon Thaxton, Vice President of Community Investment at the Gulf Coast Community Foundation (GCCF), about the “backstory” of the foundation’s newly-released online Water Quality Playbook, he was characteristically self-effacing. While he correctly claimed that such a document wasn’t an original idea, he and the GCCF should be lauded for the creation of this very important and timely effort.

Thaxton, a fourth-generation Floridian from Osprey, has been a champion of business and the local environment for more than four decades. A founding member of the Venice High School Ecology Club in 1974, he has been a lifelong advocate for sustainability. Thaxton served three terms as a Sarasota County commissioner (he was term-limited out) and joined the Foundation in 2012. He has earned accolades from diverse environmental groups including the Nature Conservancy and 1,000 Friends of Florida and was featured in National Geographic Magazine for his work with endangered species. During his career, Thaxton gained a reputation as a politician, businessman and environmentalist who crossed “traditional boundaries.” Listening to both business and environmental interests makes Thaxton’s experiences unique and, I think, critical to the area’s environment and economic viability. While I believe his experiences as a Realtor, politician and public servant have been critical, it was his love of the water and fishing, like many of us, that were foundational to the realization of the critical need to protect our local waters.

When developing the concept, Thaxton (chair of the initiative), true to his reputation, reached out to diverse segments of the local community including Dave and Jennifer Shafer of Shafer Consulting, Sandy Gilbert of Solutions To Avoid Red Tide,  Steve Suau, principal of Progressive Water Resources, agriculturalist Alan Jones,  business groups like the Argus Foundation, and various government officials including Sarasota’s Sustainability Manager, Stevie Monte Freeman and John Ryan, Sarasota County’s environmental manager. Thaxton credits Dave Shafer with the concept of the online adaptive format and Suau and the Shafers with researching and writing the playbook.

Composed of 10 chapters and 43 recommended activities, the playbook focuses on the ways Sarasota County can address water quality in local bays and estuaries. While written for Sarasota, the playbook was intentionally designed to be customizable and adaptive for use by other municipalities. According to Thaxton, “This Community Playbook for Healthy Waterways focuses, prioritizes, and coordinates critical activities we must undertake to realize our community’s vision for clean and healthy waters.”

The importance of addressing the degradation of our waterways cannot be overstated. As I’ve written in this column many times, our waters are at a critical crossroads and time is of the essence. Efforts like this give stakeholders a vital tool and framework for change, but your voice is critical to its success. I encourage everyone to engage local politicians and decision-makers, demanding common-sense actions to assure our coastal waters are clean, clear, healthy and sustainable. Consider joining, donating to and working with local environmental and advocacy non-profits like Suncoast Waterkeeper and Sarasota Bay Watch. This is an achievable goal but requires the political will of our elected officials. We either address this now or push it down the road as a much larger burden to our children. Our fishing and economic future and that of future generations depends on it.

For more information, contact Greg Luberecki at gluberecki@gulfcoastcf.org or 301-466-9594.

Reel Time: Vote for water and land

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Environment, Fishing, Outdoors, Reel Time.

I have been blessed to live on a barrier island in Manatee County since 1980. I was drawn to the area by family but moved here because of my love of fishing and the natural world. I realized I’d found what I loved most in one place. After almost 40 years, I am now focused on giving back. I want to help assure that future generations have some of the same opportunities that have made my life both rich in nature and profitable in business.

Seen firsthand

The combination of my love for fishing and my business has, over the years, made me aware of critical connections between the health of our local environment and the health of the businesses that sustain all of us on the Suncoast. You don’t have to look any farther than the broad negative effect of all-too-frequent red tide events on our tourist economy.

Unfortunately, as soon as red tide events pass, that awareness fades as waters clear and people assume everything is “back to normal.”  Being a waterman, I have witnessed the changes in our bays and estuaries over almost four decades. In the first 20 years, there were some notable successes as awareness of water quality led to a dramatic increase in seagrass coverage in Tampa and Sarasota Bay.

Reel Time
Excess nitrogen leads to lyngbya blooms like this recent one in a Holmes Beach boat basin. – Rusty Chinnis | Sun

Changes

That has all changed, and now, seagrass meadows are disappearing at an alarming rate. The loss of seagrass (and fish) is fueled by excess nitrogen that encourages the growth of algae. The cause? Habitat loss, sewage releases (primarily a result of inadequate infrastructure), stormwater runoff (exacerbated by rampant development) and myriad other minor insults result in elevated nitrogen levels. This threatens not only the natural beauty of the region, the fish, birds and mammals, but the very foundation of our economy. Whether you’re a restaurant owner on the water or a carpenter hammering nails at Lakewood Ranch, everyone will be impacted.

What we can do

But we can do something about it. On Nov. 3, voters in Manatee County have the opportunity to approve a referendum voteforwaterandland.org. The referendum, if approved, will establish dedicated funding to protect water quality, water resources, and fish and wildlife habitat. The need has never been greater. If we don’t act soon and decisively, I fear our children and future generations will never have the opportunity to experience the natural wonderland that we all often take for granted. The cost? The average homeowner will pay the equivalent of two fast-food burgers a month. Please vote YES on the Manatee County Bond Referendum and encourage your neighbors and friends to do the same. The kids will thank you and remember you for it.

Coast Lines: Happy Earth Day from Anna Maria Island

Coast Lines: Happy Earth Day from Anna Maria Island

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Coast Lines, Outdoors.

As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, the Florida Department of Health is no longer monitoring water quality at local beaches because they are closed. Likewise, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is reducing its water testing for red tide.Coast Lines logo

But local waters have been unusually clear this month, a great reason to get outside and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22.

One Florida event is #GetTrashed, a challenge to take a walk outside with gloves and a plastic bag and pick up enough trash to fill a bag. But wear your mask and stay at least 6 feet from anyone else. Check out more events here.

Arbor Day is also still being celebrated on Friday, April 24. Organizers suggest virtual celebrations, like live-streaming a reading of the poem, “Trees,” by Joyce Kilmer on your Facebook page. Check out more virtual celebration suggestions.

And if you do nothing else environmental this week, resolve to learn enough about federal oil spill policy to help you decide whom to vote for in the next presidential election, in honor of the 11 people killed in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which happened 10 years ago April 20.

The spill poisoned the Gulf of Mexico and its marine life with 200 million gallons of oil for nearly three months, some washing up on beaches from Texas to Florida.

The Washington, D.C.-based environmental group Oceana says that the federal government’s proposal to expand offshore drilling to nearly all U.S. waters will result in more spills.

“Offshore drilling is still as dirty and dangerous as it was 10 years ago,” said Diane Hoskins, Oceana campaign director. “If anything, another disaster is more likely today as the oil industry drills deeper and farther offshore… When they drill, they spill. The BP disaster devastated the Gulf, and we cannot afford to repeat it. Protecting our environment has never been more important than it is today. President Trump’s plan is still a preventable disaster if we stand together to protect our coasts.”

In a recent report, Oceana found the Gulf coast suffered significant economic losses following the Deepwater Horizon disaster:

  • The recreation industry lost more than $500 million, and more than 10 million user-days of beach, fishing and boating activity.
  • Fisheries closed and demand for Gulf seafood plummeted, costing the seafood industry nearly $1 billion.
  • Housing markets across the region experienced a decline in prices between 4% and 8% that lasted for at least five years.

Oceana also found the environmental impact of the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf was unprecedented:

  • For five years, more than 75% of all dolphin pregnancies failed in the oiled area.
  • Bryde’s whales, one of the most endangered whales in the world, decreased by about 22%.
  • As many as 800,000 birds died, including up to 32% of laughing gulls and 12% of brown pelicans.
  • Up to 170,000 sea turtles were killed by the spill.
  • About 8.3 million oysters were killed, and certain populations of fish, shrimp and squid decreased by as much as 85%.

See Oceana’s full report here.

Then turn off your computer, go outside and celebrate the Earth.

Local gulls sick, dying

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Birds, Featured, Outdoors.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Island resident Jeannie Bystrom, who frequently rescues pelicans tangled in fishing line, found 23 dead laughing gulls on a recent trip to Passage Key, north of the Island.

It’s the latest place where gull deaths have been reported this month, along with deaths on Anna Maria Island and Lido and Siesta Keys in Sarasota.

Local gulls sick, dying
This gull was found dead on Passage Key last week along with 22 others. – Jeannie Bystrom | Submitted

“It could be a virus or botulism or red tide,” Bystrom said, adding that terns and sandpipers on the uninhabited Passage Key looked healthy, although she found one dead pelican tangled in fishing line.

Bystrom took one sick seagull to Ed Straight at Wildlife Inc. Education and Rehabilitation in Bradenton Beach, but the gull later died, Straight said. Two others were recovering this afternoon, including one found stumbling across Gulf Drive by a Sun reporter.

Save Our Seabirds had seven laughing gulls recovering this afternoon at its rehab facility on City Island in Sarasota; 10 others have died there since the first of the month.

The gulls are lethargic and dehydrated, and may have eaten from a single contaminated source, a technician said.

The FWC asks that anyone seeing a sick or dead gull report it on their wild bird surveillance website.

Sad as it is, population collapses happen in nature from time to time, said Charlie Hunsicker, director of Manatee County’s Parks and Natural Resources Department. Like a forest fire paves the way for new growth, the die-off may be nature’s way of repairing a problem, he said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is doing necropsies on several birds and expects results in the next week or two, according to Michelle Kerr of the FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg.

The FWC asks that anyone seeing a sick or dead gull report it on their wild bird surveillance website.

The project, a partnership with the Florida Department of Health, was initiated to support surveillance for bird die-offs and aids in monitoring for Avian Influenza and West Nile Virus.

After a hiatus, red tide appeared in local waters last week in background concentrations at Manatee Beach and Longboat Pass, according to the FWC. Elsewhere in Florida, background to medium concentrations were found in 10 samples off Lee County and background to high concentrations were found in 15 samples collected off Collier County.

Fecal bacteria were found in the water at Bayfront Park in Anna Maria and south Palma Sola Bay this week, according to the Florida Department of Health.

Red tide report

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Outdoors, Red tide.

High (respiratory irritation, shellfish harvesting closures, fish kills, water discoloration)

Medium (respiratory irritation, shellfish harvesting closures, probable fish kills)

Low (respiratory irritation, shellfish harvesting closures, possible fish kills)

Very low (possible respiratory irritation)

Background (no effects) – Manatee Beach and Longboat Pass boat ramp

None (no red tide present)

Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Dolphin

Dolphins still dying from recent red tide

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Dolphins, Outdoors.

Red tide is suspected of killing 177 dolphins over the past year in southwest Florida, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Elevated bottlenose dolphin mortalities have occurred in Manatee, Sarasota, Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties since the bloom of the red tide organism Karenia brevis began in November 2017, according to NOAA, calling it an “unusual mortality event.”

The bloom affected Gulf of Mexico waters around Anna Maria Island from August 2018 to February 2019, and has reappeared sporadically in background concentrations since then locally and elsewhere in the state.

Other species including fish, sea turtles and manatees also are dying because of the ongoing harmful algal bloom, according to NOAA.

The last time a similar event happened was in 2005-06, when red tide killed about 190 dolphins in the region.

In addition, more than 200 bottlenose dolphins have become stranded on Gulf beaches from Florida to Louisiana – the area of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill – since Feb. 1, according to NOAA. The causes are still under investigation.

NOAA estimates about 12,388 dolphins live in the Gulf of Mexico from the Big Bend area of Florida south to Key West.

If you find a stranded, dead or sick dolphin, call NOAA’s emergency strandings number at 1-877-WHALE HELP (1-877-942-5343) or contact the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16.

 Dolphin tips

  • DON’T push the animal back out to sea! Stranded marine mammals may be sick or injured. Returning animals to sea delays examination and treatment and often results in the animal re-stranding in worse condition.
  • If the animal returns to the water on its own, DON’T attempt to interact with it (swim with, ride, etc.).
  • DO put human safety above animal safety. If conditions are dangerous, do not attempt to approach the animal.
  • DO stay with the animal until rescuers arrive, but use caution. Marine mammals can be dangerous and/or carry disease. Keep a safe distance from the head and tail. Do not touch the animal and avoid inhaling the animal’s expired air.
  • DO keep its skin moist and cool by splashing water over its body. Use wet towels to help keep the skin moist and prevent sunburn.
  • DON’T cover or obstruct the blowhole. Try to keep sand and water away from the blowhole.
  • DO keep crowds away and noise levels down to avoid causing further stress to the animal.
  • DO report all dead marine mammals, even if they are decomposed, to 877-WHALE HELP (877-942-5343).
  • DO keep dogs/pets away from the live or dead marine mammal.
  • DON’T collect any parts (tissues, teeth, bones, or gear, etc.) from dead animals. They are still covered by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Blue-green algae warning signs coming

Blue-green algae warning signs coming

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Environment, Featured, Outdoors.

BRADENTON – The Florida Department of Health plans to post caution signs at the boat ramp on the Braden River at State Road 64 warning people, “Blue-green algae may be in these waters. There may be toxins.”

While toxins were not detected in water samples taken in the area by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on Tuesday, July 2, the signs are necessary “to help educate folks utilizing the county facilities of the current algae bloom and steps they can take to assure they are not impacted from this event,” Tom Larkin, environmental manager for the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County, wrote Charlie Hunsicker, head of the Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Department in an email today.

The signs advise people to avoid swimming and eating shellfish from the area, to keep water out of their eyes, nose and mouth, and to keep pets away from the water, Hunsicker said, noting the irony that the tests show no toxins.

“We are dealing with causes that are stressful and sometimes fatal to fish. But it should not deter anyone from enjoying Robinson Preserve or any preserve, because toxins have not been detected.” – Charlie Hunsicker, Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Department

Fish stressed

Fish were gasping for air in the mouth of the Manatee River today like koi in a pond, but not because of blue-green algae, he said, attributing the behavior to low dissolved oxygen in the water caused by high water temperatures and sunlight.

The county took six water samples around Robinson and Perico preserves for testing but the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute will not have results for at least a week, he said.

“In general, it looks like fish were stressed and dying within the preserves and more severely in upper reaches like the boat ramp and tidal nodes, near the fishing pier,” wrote Damon Moore, the division manager of the Ecological and Marine Resources division of the Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Department in an email to Hunsicker today.

Blue-green algae warning signs coming
Dead and dying fish at the Robinson Preserve kayak launch today. – Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Department | Submitted

Algae caused a fish kill in the Lower Manatee River, Perico Bayou and Perico Preserve last month, according to the Manatee County Environmental Protection Department. Booms were deployed to help keep algae mats out of the preserve.

“We are dealing with causes that are stressful and sometimes fatal to fish,” Hunsicker said. “But it should not deter anyone from enjoying Robinson Preserve or any preserve, because toxins have not been detected.”

Swimming and wade fishing are not allowed in county preserves, Hunsicker reminds visitors.

Today’s reports

Three of nine samples taken statewide the first week of July showed non-toxic algae blooms, according to the Friday, July 5 Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) report, including the July 2 sample in the Braden River and another showing “mixed algae” in Perico Bayou.

“The Manatee River conditions have improved with no new reports. DEP staff report that conditions look much better except in the Bradenton area,” according to the report.

No samples were taken in waters off Anna Maria Island this week. DEP’s jurisdiction is primarily freshwater, Hunsicker said, so the agency is concentrating on local rivers.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has jurisdiction over saltwater, he said. Red tide was not present in water samples taken in Manatee County last week by the FWC, according to its Friday, July 5 report.

Blue-green algae called Filamentous cyanobacteria (Lyngbya-like) was first detected on May 9 in Anna Maria Sound at Key Royale, in the Intracoastal Waterway south of Grassy Point, and in Palma Sola Bay near San Remo Shores.

The algae found in Manatee County waters are not the same species that has plagued Lake Okeechobee, the toxic Microcystis aeruginosa, according to DEP.

Blue-green algae can be blue, green, brown or red and emit a foul, rotten egg odor caused by the production of hydrogen sulfide gas, according to DEP, which advises staying out of water where algae are visible as specks, mats or water is discolored pea-green, blue-green or brownish-red. Additionally, pets or livestock should not come into contact with the algal bloom-impacted water, or the algal bloom material or fish on the shoreline.

Even non-toxic blooms can harm the environment by depleting oxygen levels in the water column and reducing the amount of light that reaches submerged plants, according to DEP.

The growth of blue-green algae typically increases in the spring and summer months when water temperatures and daylight hours increase.

To help keep algae growth at bay, Florida law bans the use of phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers during the rainy season, June 1 through Sept. 30.

Report algae blooms to DEP at 855-305-3903. Report fish kills to FWC at 800-636-0511.

Algae in Manatee River

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Outdoors, Red tide.

BRADENTON – Non-toxic algae blooms have been detected in the Manatee River this week, according to today’s report from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Algae appeared in two water samples collected along the river near Bradenton and Ellenton; at River Pointe Canal on June 18, non-toxic Aphanizomenon flos-aquae was identified, and at Ellenton on June 19, non-toxic Cuspidothrix was identified.

Results from several other samples are pending. No samples were taken off Anna Maria Island this week.

Filamentous cyanobacteria (Lyngbya-like) was first detected in Holmes Beach waters on Thursday, May 9 in Anna Maria Sound at Key Royale and in the Intracoastal Waterway south of Grassy Point, and in Palma Sola Bay near San Remo Shores.

The algae species found in Manatee County waters are not the same species that has plagued Lake Okeechobee, the toxic Microcystis aeruginosa, according to DEP.

Blue-green algae can be blue, green, brown or red and emit a foul, rotten egg odor caused by the production of hydrogen sulfide gas, according to DEP, which advises staying out of water where algae is visible as specks, mats or water is discolored pea-green, blue-green or brownish-red. Additionally, pets or livestock should not come into contact with the algal bloom-impacted water, or the algal bloom material or fish on the shoreline.

Even non-toxic blooms can harm the environment by depleting oxygen levels in the water column and reducing the amount of light that reaches submerged plants, according to DEP.

The growth of blue-green algae typically increases in the spring and summer months when water temperatures and daylight hours increase.

Red tide report

No red tide is forecast in Manatee County waters through at least Monday, June 24, and none was detected in water samples earlier this week, according to today’s Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) report.

Background concentrations were detected in one water sample in Sarasota County. Background concentrations of the algae that causes Florida red tide, Karenia brevis, have no discernable effects on people or marine life, according to the FWC. However, in very low concentrations and above, red tide cells emit a neurotoxin when they bloom that can cause shellfish closures and respiratory irritation in people, especially those with asthma, COPD or emphysema. In low concentrations and above, red tide can be deadly to marine life.

No fish kills were reported this week.

Scientists say that salinity, currents, temperature and light play a part in the formation of red tide blooms, as do nutrients from Florida’s natural phosphate and limestone deposits, Caribbean seawater brought to Florida’s west coast on the Loop Current, the Mississippi River, Saharan dust blown across the Atlantic Ocean to Florida’s waters, and fertilizer and animal waste runoff.

To help keep algae growth at bay, Florida law bans the use of phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers during the rainy season, June 1 through Sept. 30.

Report algae blooms to DEP at 855-305-3903 or online. Report fish kills to FWC at 800-636-0511.