“For people that have lived in this area for 30, 40, 50 years, they’ve all said this is the worst red tide they’ve ever experienced. The state’s press release recapping the discussion made no mention of the Piney Point spill.īut some residents argue the state failed to prevent the disaster at Piney Point that caused or at the very least intensified the harmful algal bloom – and it’s not stepping up to prevent the next. “I don’t think that the red tide originated as a consequence of Piney Point,” Tom Frazer, Florida’s former chief science officer, said in a roundtable held by the governor. In June, scientists and state environmental officials downplayed the severity of the red tide and its link to the spill.
“Based on our 25 years experience in the area, and knowing how red tide acts in Tampa Bay, I feel completely confident that the current red tide bloom is more excessive thanks to Piney Point,” Hemmel said, adding that red tide blooms almost never happen this early in the summer. “We have commercial fishermen, business owners and people that live near the water that say they’ve never seen anything like this.”Ĭurt Hemmel founded Bay Shellfish Company, Florida’s largest bivalve hatchery, in 1996. It’s a quality of life issue,” Patarek said. “We need a stronger response, so that we can function. While the governor argues that declaring a state of emergency would hurt tourism across the state, residents have been left to deal with the damage, and argue that the algae bloom is a massive ecological crisis that could have been avoided. Photograph: Zack Wittman/The GuardianĭeSantis has not been receptive to their appeals. Fish kills, numbering in the thousands of tons, are a common sign of red tide. Petersburg, one of the areas hardest hit by the scourge, also pushed for a state of emergency declaration to coordinate a state and federal response.ĭead fish are covered in flies in Sarasota, Florida.
#Red tide graph occurrence free
Patarek and his group organized a protest calling for the state’s governor, Republican Ron DeSantis, to declare a state of emergency that would free up more resources to clean up the fish-clogged bay. So far, the state has given $1m towards cleanup efforts for the fish killed by the red tide. Earlier this month, he received a frantic call from a friend and local paddle boarding business owner who was in tears over the sight of dead fish on the beach.Ī community rallied around that cry, but a coordinated state response has been slow. Paterek is the chair of Suncoast Surfrider – a nonprofit that works to protect the state’s oceans and beaches. Warming waters due to climate change are also making red tides worse, according to experts. Experts now believe the wastewater that was dumped into Port Manatee, which leads into Tampa Bay, could be supplying a buffet of nutrients for bacteria to feast on, which could have caused the algae bloom.
The massive spill threatened nearby residents with a 20-foot wall of water and led to the evacuation of nearby residents and businesses. Thomas Paterek, chair of Suncoast Surfrider Photograph: Zack Wittman/The Guardian
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