Florida is threatened by toxic algae: they kill fish and are dangerous to people - ForumDaily
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Florida is threatened by toxic algae: they kill fish and are dangerous to people

It's not just tourists who invade Florida in the summer. CNN. Vibrant, nasty - and sometimes deadly - microorganisms known as red tide and blue-green algae also use temperature changes to reproduce. And this causes serious problems.

Photo: Shutterstock

Both types of algae blooms are starting to make their mark on some of the most beautiful coastlines of Southwest Florida. Whether they're heading out for the summer or just teasing remains to be seen.

Many of those who live on the water are quite optimistic about this.

“I think the red tide will be with us every summer,” said Rafael Rios, who has owned a charter fishing boat out of St. Petersburg for 15 years, but said he has fished the waters of Tampa Bay for 40 years. “There are years when we don’t see him. There are some where we see a lot more of him.”

Red tide and blue algae come from different microorganisms. Red tide is caused by the species Karenia brevis, and a report issued by Manatee County Commissioners recently identified the cyanobacterium Lyngbya as the cause of a local blue-green algae outbreak.

Both are toxic.

Blue-green algae have been blooming for the past few weeks in waters around Tampa Bay, including Sarasota Bay, the Intracoastal Waterway and Terra Seya Island, located in Manatee County, south of Tampa.

Residents of Manatee learned they were under threat about 10 days ago when the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission posted signs along Frog Creek and other parts of Terra Seea Park, warning of the danger of blue-greens. algae.

But the bigger problem is red tide.

The Red Tide of 2018 was one of the worst

In 2018, a massive red tide along Florida's southwest coast killed 200 tons of marine life and caused $8 million in business damage.

“2018 was one of the worst red tides we’ve had,” Rios said. “He killed many, many fish.”

State and federal maps for the summer of 2018 and the fall of that year showed strong flares of red tides in six counties, from Pinellas in the north to Collier in the south.

This year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's latest map, released May 21, shows high concentrations of red tide in Lee and Collier counties and low concentrations in four other counties.

Fish deaths have been reported in Manati, Sarasota, Lee and Collier counties, and human breathing problems have been reported in Charlotte and Collier counties.

Florida health officials in Manatee County issued a warning late last week urging people not to swim near dead fish and advising all people with chronic respiratory problems to stay away from beaches.

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Red tide is not a new phenomenon.

The Florida Department of Health notes that red tides have been documented in the southern Gulf of Mexico in the 1700s and along Florida's Gulf Coast since 1840. But the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says Karenia brevis, the microorganism responsible for red tide, was not identified until 1946.

Algae does not have to be red or blue-green in appearance. The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states: “Blooms may appear as foam, mats, or paint on the surface of the water. This can change the color of the water to green, blue, brown, red or other."

The health agency also notes that algae in bloom can become dangerous if they produce toxins, consume oxygen in the water, release harmful gases, or become too thick.

Algal blooms require the right set of circumstances, namely sunlight, slow water, and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Although algal blooms have been reported for hundreds of years, the Environmental Protection Agency notes: "Nutrient pollution from human activities exacerbates the problem, leading to more intense blooms that occur more frequently."

These nutrients come from agricultural runoff, stormwater and sewage, according to the Fisheries and Wildlife Commission. Most likely, the sewage caused the massive algae bloom that covered Lake Okeechobee in southern Florida on May 11.

The release of contaminated water from a gypsum pipe at Piney Point into Tampa Bay in April to prevent wall collapse remains a major concern. The water contained over 200 tons of nitrogen released into Tampa Bay in just 10 days. On May 17, Suncoast Waterkeeper and four other environmental groups filed notice that they would like to enter into formal dialogue with representatives of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Manatee County Port Authority and HRK Holdings LLC, the owner of Piney Point. If these negotiations fail, they threaten to file a federal lawsuit in Tampa.

Environmental organizations say they want Piney Point to shut down permanently and focus on what they perceive as regulatory violations across the state. The EPA took over the ownership of the Piney Point phosphate fertilizer plant in 2001 after the then owner suddenly filed for bankruptcy and left ownership. Between February 2001 and February 2004, the EPA dumped about 1,1 million gallons of wastewater into Tampa Bay and Bishop Harbor, according to a legal document filed by environmentalists. HRK Holdings acquired Piney Point in August 2006.

The Manatee Port Authority is part of the legal notice because it stored dredging materials from Tampa Bay to Piney Point. The EPA has approved this repository. These actions resulted in violations of the Clean Water Act, the Resource Conservation and Restoration Act, and the Endangered Species Act, according to the official notification of environmental organizations.

Alexandra Kuchta, deputy spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Protection, told CNN in an email dated May 18 that the state agency was not responsible for the April Piney Point incident. An HRK spokesman said in a press statement that the EPA is to blame for not taking corrective action in the years leading up to the April leak. Spokesman Tom Richards said HRK has informed the government agency of the extent of the problem.

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What this year will bring

Strong winds from the east probably helped dispel some of the blooming algae. On the west coast of Florida, the winds and movement of the water usually carry the blooming algae ashore. Sea winds push them into open water.

But it’s too early to predict what this year will bring. Red tide typically peaks in the summer and fall. And this can last for days, weeks, months or even years.

Karen Bell, owner of a fishing business in the village of Cortez, remembers her father telling her that after he returned from World War II, a terrible "red tide" hit the Manatee County fishing village. That red tide lasted two years.

“I always think about this because while I'm sure what we do with fertilizers and runoff has negative consequences, red tide is a natural phenomenon,” Bell said. “This is likely to be a long time coming, but as stewards of the environment, we must do everything we can to not make the problem worse.”

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