When a map user selects a spot on the map, based on its color they can tell how high the concentration of the cells is. Thursday some beaches in Miami-Dade County north of Haulover Park were closed due to the concentration of the algae. Where the concentrations are high, the beaches are usually closed. The algae's presence is measured in cells per liter and it ranges in different areas from not present to high concentrations. The new interactive map shows the concentration of the algae causing the red tide in different areas up and down the coast of Florida. The conditions are listed on different sites from different counties and towns but the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released a new map that makes it easier for those in the area to keep up with the latest levels of the harmful algae cells. For more information, visit defenders.For months on end, beach-goers in Florida have been checking the local alerts for conditions related to the red tide event happening off the coast. With a nationwide network of nearly 2.2 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. “As waters warm due to the changing climate, we must rein in this rampant water pollution before it’s too late.”ĭefenders of Wildlife is celebrating 75 years of protecting all native animals and plants in their natural communities.
“Decades of restoration work in Tampa Bay will be undone if we continue to allow urban, agricultural and industrial pollution to go unchecked,” said Clark. The discharge may have helped fuel the red tide. This red tide comes less than four months after Florida regulators authorized the discharge of up to 480 million gallons of nutrient-rich, toxic wastewater into Tampa Bay from the Piney Point phosphogypsum stack. Traditionally, red tides have occurred in the fall and end of January in Tampa Bay, making this summer bloom highly unusual. In addition to killing marine life, red tides can cause severe respiratory issues in humans. Climate change is expected to result in increased temperatures of nearshore ocean water, and this could lead to increased growth of the harmful algae. Red tides occur offshore during an overabundance of the Karenia brevis algae, which can be made worse by nutrient pollution once it drifts closer to land. “Continued decomposition leads to more nutrient pollution, creating a vicious cycle of even more catastrophic red tide outbreaks.” “With so many dead fish and wildlife decomposing in the bay, time is of the essence,” said Elizabeth Fleming, senior Florida representative at Defenders of Wildlife. The Department of Environmental Protection claimed the agency has committed $2.1 million to clean up Pinellas County and St. DeSantis announced last Wednesday that he would not declare this an emergency. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman and Congressman Charlie Crist have also called for an emergency declaration to marshal funds to clean up dead fish and wildlife accumulating in local waterways.ĭespite the public outcry, Gov. “Harmful algae blooms are devastating to wildlife, especially for an ecosystem weakened by rapid development, climate change and escalating biodiversity loss.”ĭefenders of Wildlife recently joined several other environmental groups in urging Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) to declare a state of emergency. “The increasing frequency of these red tide events should set off alarm bells for Florida’s leaders that immediate action is required to keep Florida’s waters from becoming mass graves,” said Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife. This red tide represents Florida’s second major red tide flare-up in three years, after a massive bloom killed 2,000 tons of marine species in Southwest Florida in 2018. A large outbreak of highly toxic algae or “red tide” continues to impact Gulf Coast communities in Southwest Florida, resulting in the deaths of over 1,500 tons of marine life and fish, including manatees, goliath groupers, dolphins and endangered sea turtles along St.
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