Lagoon Day- Saturday April 19, 2008Its that time of year for our semi-annual Lagoon Day! All our monitors will test the lagoon simultaneously at 8 a.m. With

sites from New Smyrna Beach to Jupiter Inlet, we will collect a snapshot of the water quality along the entire length of theIndian River Lagoon. This year’s festivities will be hosted by Coastal Angler Magazine’s 3rd Annual CAM Boat Show andFishing Expo, at the Melbourne Auditorium. All monitors will receive free admission to the event on Saturday with advancedreservations. For more info. contact Michael at 321-725-7775.

New Red Tide Outbreak Affects Brevardand Volusia County -FL Today

The East Coast of Florida suffered the effects of Red Tide from early September2007 through January 2008. In early December, Red Tide levels reached 1.7 millioncells per liter in Indialantic’s Paradise Beach Park, a level surpassing thestates one million cells scale. Though Red Tide is not fatal to humans, it causes varying degrees of eye,nose, and throat irritation, including sore throat and a cough. The symptoms tend to mimic sinus and otherrespiratory infections. While symptoms usually go away shortly after leaving the area, they can persist fordays in people with chronic or severe respiratory conditions such as asthma or emphysema, after just onehour of exposure. Contact with water containing Red Tide can cause a rash that usually goes away within aday. Eating fish harvested in areas affected by Red Tide can also be harmful. These fish should be carefullyfilleted and cooked fresh. Though the meat of fresh, healthy fish should be okay to eat, people

should avoid consuming roe and internal organs. Eating clams, oysters, or other bivalve shellfishexposed to Red Tide can cause neurotoxic symptoms such as tingling and

numbness to the lips, tongue and throat as well as muscle aches,dizziness, and reversal of the sensations of hot and cold.

Additional symptoms include diarrhea andvomiting. Onset of these

symptoms is withina few

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minutes to afew hours of eating theshellfish and usually lasts a few hoursto several days. Recovery is complete with fewaftereffects. No deaths have been reported. On December 11,2007, the Indian River County Health Department issued a red tide healthadvisory, warning people to expect more watery eyes and coughs. On December12, 2007, Heidar Heshmati, director of the Brevard County Health Department followed suit andissued a Red Tide health alert for Brevard County. He says he held off on issuing a health alert until watersamples reached high Red Tide concentrations, which they did Dec. 3 and Dec. 10, 2007. Health officials saythat people with asthma or emphysema should avoid beach areas and contact with sea spray, and peoplewith asthma should always make sure to have their inhalers with them during red tides. It was advised forpeople to rinse off in fresh water after going in the ocean, or coming into contact with sea spray. They alsorecommend that people who work or fish long term at the beach wear a properly fitted mask. Constructioncrews were vomiting from coughing so much due to Red Tide irritation. Red tides have also been shown tocause jumps in emergency room visits. Visits due to pneumonia increased 54 percent, asthma 31 percent,bronchitis 44 percent, and 64 percent for people with upper airway disease in Sarasota County. Some recentstudies done at Mote Marine Lab also suggest that red tides lasting several months can suppress theimmune system.

Red Tide Special Edition

Red Tide Affects Local Marine Life-Florida Today and other sources

The red tide that plagued the East Coast of Florida fromearly September 2007 through early January 2008 wasirritating to people, but deadly to marine life. 71 sea turtleswere stranded by the red tide: 61 of those in BrevardCounty, 9 in Volusia County, and 1 in Indian River County.Of those 71 turtles, 43 died. The sea turtles can get sickfrom eating fish or algae on rocks, where red tide toxins canaccumulate.

Manatees were also affectedby the red tide. At least 46manatees in Florida died due tothe red tide. The most severecase happened in 1996 when149 manatees were killed.Manatees die from red tidebecause the algae toxinconcentrates on the seagrassthey eat and the mammalsbreathe the poison at thewater’s surface. Ann Spellman,a marine mammal biologist withFlorida Fish and WildlifeConservation Commission, saysthey actually asphyxiate. Shesays “the animal suffocates. Inmy mind it’s just a horrible wayto die.”

Nine dolphins washedashore due to red tide. Studieshave shown that dolphins candie several weeks afterexposure to red tide. In 2004,107 bottlenose dolphin deathwere reported weeks after a redtide dissipated. The lingeringtoxins build up in their systems as they eat menhaden andother fish that had accumulated the toxins in their organs.

During the outbreak of red tide, there were several fishkills. The red tide reached fish killing levels in the IndianRiver Lagoon in early December. State tests showed theSebastian area to have red tide levels to be between382,600 – 788,000 cells per liter.

Economic Impacts of Florida Red Tide-Mote and other sourcesFlorida’s 1,100 miles of coastline is the top destination forAmericans who swim, fish, dive, and otherwise enjoy thestate’s many beaches, coastal wetlands and shores.Tourist communities lose millions of dollars as dead fishwash up onshore and beachgoers suffer from eye andrespiratory problems because of the airborne toxins.Florida red tides are estimated to cost greater than $20

million per year in tourismlosses alone. Asthmaadmissions in Florida over thelast few years have increasedfrom 420 per 100,000 patients in1997, to 610 admissions per100,000 in 2002.Businesses that harvestshellfish must close and remainclosed for two to six weeks aftera bloom has dissipated as thetoxins are purge and tests havebeen run to determine that theharvesting ban can be lifted. Inthe 2002-2003 season, theFlorida shellfish aquaculture andoyster industries lost $6 millionin dockside sales alone, and upto 20% of the planted clams. In1996 a red tide bloomkilled 10% of the endangeredmanatees population.

Studies have been done tolook at the impacts of red tidefor business activity that focusedon zip codes. There was areported 29-35% decline inaverage monthly revenues

for restaurant and lodging businesses during months ofred tide. These losses amounted to 2.8-3.7 million dollarsa month. Another potential economic impact is propertyvalues. It is difficult to assess the true impact due to risingand falling real estate values, but an intense red tidebloom lingering for months will adversely impact propertyvalues over both the short and long term.

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Former MRC Chairman RecognizedDavid Botto has been a member of the board since 1996

first holding the office of Treasurer. In 1997 he took over asChairman and served from 1997 to 2000, after a two-yearbreak he served again as Chairman from 2003 to 2007. Inhis 11 years on the Board of Directors, Mr. Botto establishedan independent source of funds/funding for use by the MRC.He also coordinated cooperative actions of all organizationsand agencies concerned with the health of the lagoon.Currently he is spearheading the MRC’s fisheries campaign.Jerry Woods has taken over as Chairman. Mr. Woods isinterested in the preservation of current natural habitats inBrevard and Indian River Counties with a focus on theIndian River Lagoon and the Sebastian River.

Photo: Current Chairman Jerry Woods (shown left) presents formerChairman David Botto with a recognition award,

Monthly Average of Water Quality Data Feb. 1 – Feb. 19, 2008. Look for it in the Florida Today on the lastSaturday of the month and our website. Coming soon to our website: Indian River, St Lucie and Martin County Map!

Even though they say the third time is a charm, when it comes to red tide, I disagree. In over thirty-five years of surfingand fishing along our Indian River Lagoon Coast, I can honestly say there has never been a more frustrating ordiscouraging two months here than November and December 2007. The fall has always been a great time for our familyto enjoy the bountiful rewards; surf for fun and fish for food that we reap here along our IRL coast after a hot and longsummer. To my knowledge there has only been two minor outbreaks of this insidious algae bloom on our IRL coast sincethe early seventies. It reared its foul smell once in the very early 80s and then again just after the new millennium. Whileduring this span of 30 years, Florida’s West Coast and other areas experienced increasingly destructive bouts of red tide.These East Coast breakouts lingered for only a couple of weeks, barely making news. The damage to our quality of lifewas little more than our noses could detect and the environmental and economical damage was immeasurable. Whilethere was a growing concern around the Sunshine State here along the IRL coast, we nearly felt a false sense ofsecurity. Might we be impervious to the unforgiving effects of this toxic algae bloom? This all changed in November andDecember 2007. It started to the north in the late summer; slowly creeping south until its toxic wave engulfed us. Livingon the barrier island (I refer to it as a slice of nirvana wedged between the Atlantic Ocean and Banana River Lagoon.)there was no avoiding its effects. In our family of water folk, the hurt connected to the coughing and irritation to our eyeswas nothing compared to sorrow associated with the massive destruction of bio-diversity and the emptiness we felt whenwe realized that there was nothing we could to do change its effects, and that we probably had contributed to itspresence. In summary, watching dead roe mullet floating on the waves in front of me and washing onto the beach after,greatly motivates our mission to promote the use, not abuse of our resources.For more information contact 321-750-3374 or rodney@coastalanglermagazine.com

On The Lagoon with Captain Rodney Smith

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© MRC, 2008Funding provided by the

National Estuary Program

Note. VAB = visible at bottom, A = excellent, B = good, C = fair, and F = bad.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What Letter Grades MeanF: bad D: poor C: fair B: good A: excellent

Water Clarity < 1.5 1.5 – 2.5 2.6 – 3.5 3.6 – 5.0 > 5.0(ft) no light for little light for modest light seagrass seagrass

seagrass seagrass for seagrass thrives spreadsSalinity <15 15–17.9 18–21.9 22–24.9 or > 35 25 – 35(ppt) fish eggs & poor for fish fair for fish good for fish ideal for fish

shellfish die & seagrass & seagrass & seagrass & seagrasspH < 7.5 or > 8.8 8.5 – 8.8 7.5 – 8.0 8.1 – 8.4

harms abnormal fresh water good forsealife impacts sealife

Dissolved < 2.0 2.0 – 3.0 3.1 – 4.9 5.0 – 6.0 > 6.0Oxygen (mg/l) most fish & some fish die fish stressed good for fish ideal for fish

shellfish die

Location Water Salinity pH D.O. OverallClarity ft ppt. (mg/l) Condition

1 Scottsmoor Not Reporting ---- ---- ----2 Titusville 6.6 A 25.6 A 8.4 A 7.5 A A3 Port St John VAB 30.0 A 8.1 A 6.6 A A4 Merritt Island VAB 26.3 A 8.1 A 6.9 A A5 Cape Canaveral VAB 24.3 B 8.2 A 5.6 B B6 Cocoa 7.0 A 25.9 A 8.1 A 7.3 A A7 Cocoa Beach 2.6 C 24.5 B 8.5 D 6.5 A B8 Rockledge 4.6 B 25.8 A 8.0 C 5.6 B B9 South Patrick VAB 21.5 C 8.6 D 5.7 B C

10 Indian Harbour 3.5 C 22.1 B 8.0 C 5.4 B B11 Eau Gallie VAB 24.5 B 8.2 A 5.1 B B12 Indialantic 2.6 C 24.6 B 8.3 A 6.3 A B13 Melbourne VAB 24.5 B 8.3 A 6.9 A A14 Melbourne Beach VAB 22.0 B 8.2 A 7.0 A A15 Palm Bay VAB 20.8 C 8.2 A 6.7 A B16 Floridana Beach 2.8 C 22.8 B 8.2 A 5.9 B B17 Grant / Micco 2.2 D 21.4 C 8.2 A 7.1 A B18 Sebastian River VAB 15.2 7.9 6.1 A A

Eagle Scouts assist MRC in potting 1500 mangroves

USFWS / Town of Jupiter Island support MRC removalof 218,000 ft2 of Brazilian Pepper

USFWS through the North American WeltandConservation Act has funded the removal of1,655,280 ft2 of invasive brazilian pepper as wellas the planting of 2,500 mangroves along theshorelines. Areas associated with theseplantings have been the Merritt Island WildlifeRefuge and the Sebastian Inlet State Park.In this photo volunteers are planting mangrovesusing the burlap method invented by the MRC.Volunteers from local 4-H club Today’s TeensBrevard offered more than 115 volunteer hoursfrom 23 volunteers in an effort to plant 1,100mangroves along a mosquito impoundment atthe Sebastian Inlet State Park Marina.

US Fish & Wildlife Support removes 1.6 million ft2

of Brazilian Pepper, and plants 2,500 Mangroves

Since the beginning of this year, MRC and volunteers havecleared almost 218,000 ft2 of brazillian pepper from a propertyin Jupiter owned by the Town of Jupiter Island as well as the USFish and Wildlife Services and is part of a greenway thatextends 7 miles North and South of the area. This greenwayand section of the Indian River Lagoon is home to West IndianManatees, Florida Scrub Jays, Wood Storks, Bob Cats andother native anaimals. MRC’s efforts in removing invasivespecies along this tract is an important part of our efforts torestore the entire Indian River Lagoon. In this photo, MRC staff(Robert Kloss) is seen applying herbicide to the bark of invasivebrazillian pepper trees on the property. Volunteer opportunitiesare available at the MRC. To find out how you can assist in ourefforts in Martin and St. Lucie counties, contact Chris at (321)725-7775, or email council@mrcirl.org.

Every year the MRC plants thousands of native specieswithin the Indian River Lagoon and removes acres ofinvasive species. Volunteer efforts are the major forcebehind our activities, and they assist in all aspects ofthe restoration process. One of our major needsincludes volunteers to assist in maintaining ourgreenhouse that supplies most of the plants we usethroughout the year. In this photo, volunteers from localEagle Scout Troop 314 assisted MRC in pottingmangroves as well as taking care of the greenhouse.To find out how your volunteer group can assist inrestoring the IRL contact MRC at (321) 725-7775, oremail (council@mrcirl.org). Visit our website to getupdates on our current activities (www.mrcirl.org).

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What Is Being Done About Red Tide! Measures to eradicate, neutralize or remove Red Tide

It is easy to do in a small contained environment like a laboratory, but doing so in the open water environment is farmore challenging and has its associated questions. Can technology effectively kill, contain or neutralize red tide? Do themeasures pose less of an ecological risk than letting the bloom run its course? Is it logistically feasible and at whateconomic cost?

One of the leading control measures is flocculation. Flocculation is a process by which aa substance is added to thewater to create a “floc” that removes fine particulates by binding them together forming a clump of matter. The targetedparticulates are the red tide cells and their toxins. Clay is the most used flocculent but research is being conducted usingsand, sediment and other naturally occurring substances which will bind to the algae and toxins as it drifts down to theocean floor. Ozone is another measure being looked at by scientists.

Ozone is a molecule consisting of three oxygen atoms (the air you breathe is two oxygen atoms), it is highly unstable astemperatures rise and fall and must be maintained at low temperatures and high pressure. Ozone is toxic but dissipatesquickly in water since it is unstable. Many municipal drinking water systems employ ozone to kill bacteria rather thanchlorine because it leaves no taste or odor in the water, it is cost effective and reduces the transportation and storage ofhazardous chlorine. Ozone is capable of killing k. brevis cells and the brevetoxins they produce along with oxidizingdecaying fish and reoxygenating waters that become anoxic because of a red tide bloom. Although the toxicity only lastsfor seconds after being released into the water, high concentrations will kill indiscriminately (everything in its presence) andthe possibility of degassing into the atmosphere can pose a danger to humans. Researchers are also experimenting withalgicidal bacteria that can influence the growth and decline of blooms through direct or indirect interactions. The bacteriadon’t necessarily need to kill the red tide cells but make them vulnerable to other forms of predation from micro-organisms.One of the only attempts to control a red tide bloom took place in September and October 1957. One hundred and fivetons of copper sulfate was dispersed 3 miles offshore along 32 miles of western Florida. Originally the copper was draggedbehind ships in burlap sacks but was deemed inefficient for such a large area. Crop dusting planes were incorporated andshowed an immediate effect as cell concentrations dropped from 10 million cells per liter to zero across the treated area.However, within two weeks the bloom had returned in two of the five monitored areas. Ecological damage was notrecorded and the recent cost of copper sulfate has deemed this method as inefficient.

The Last 54 Years of Red Tide.Florida red tide blooms have been confirmed dating back to 1946 and 1947 when an estimated 500 million fish were killed

during a bloom. It first appeared near Naples in November of 46 and spread as far north as Sanibel Island and Englewood in Jan.47. It again appeared spring 47 in the outer Florida Bay and a few months later as far north as Tarpon Springs.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that severe blooms have plagued Florida for hundreds maybe even thousands of years. The mapsabove were created using historical data collected by the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (formerly Florida Marine ResearchInstitute). The small dots on the maps represent 5 thousand to 100 thousand cells per liter, during which shellfish harvesting isclosed and breathing becomes difficult. The triangles represent 100 thousand to one million cells, where fish kills occur and thelarge asterisk is over one million cells resulting in massive fish kills, manatee and dolphin deaths, discolored water and breathing isvery difficult. Although Karenia brevis was officially identified until 1947 as a red tide, initial sampling efforts did not begin until the1950’s when one of the most harmful red tides in Florida’s history broke out (1953-1957). On November 27, 1957, there was areported hundred million cells per liter off the coast of St. Petersburg. During the 1965-1975 period, it can be noticed that it is thefirst and only time reported that red tide infested the entire Tampa Bay Estuary of West Florida. During this bloom on May 22, 1974an area south of Clearwater reported a hundred and seven million cells per liter, 5th highest in history. 76-86 marked the first timethat red tide affected the East Central Coast of Florida in Volusia, Brevard and Indian River Counties. Brevard county wassignificantly impacted during Oct. 19-23 1983 were red tide concentrations averaged 1.5 million cells per liter and marked the firsttime that a red tide bloom was found in the Lagoon when an area near Eau Gallie reported 2.3 and 6 million cells per liter on Oct.20 th and 21st 1983. It would not be until Nov. 2002 that a red tide bloom was reported in Brevard and Indian River counties andthen again in Nov. 2007 covering an area from Jacksonville to West Palm Beach.

Blooms occurring in 94 and 96 contained the highest amount of cells per liter in Florida’s history. On Dec. 9, 1994, the SarasotaBay received a sample that contained over three hundred and fifty million cells per liter, the most ever counted to date. In Feb.1996, the Sarasota area received the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th highest red tide levels in history ranging from over one hundred millioncells to almost two hundred million cells per liter. The 98-08 period marked the East Coast of Florida’s worst years for red tide.One of the most alarming points of interest is that from 2006 to 2008, the only red tide blooms occurred on the east coast of Florida,as the west coast contained no samples that exceeded 5000 cells per liter. Scientists believe the Florida Current and Gulf StreamCurrent carried K. brevis from the Gulf of Mexico, around South Florida, and up the East Coast of Florida.

Red Tide in theIndian River Lagoon

Initial sampling efforts for red tidewere not conducted until the 1950’sand it was exclusively on the WestCoast. It was not until Nov. 1972 thatthe Indian River Lagoon was firsttested at the Ft. Pierce, Sebastian andSt. Lucie inlets. K. brevis was foundonly at the St. Lucie inlet. The regionwas not sampled again until 1980. InNov. 1980 samples from the MosquitoLagoon contained a red tide bloomranging from 100,000 cells to 250,000cells per liter. This was the first andlast day the Mosquito Lagoon wouldbe tested until 1983. Oct. 1983, EastCentral Florida is affected with its firstsignificant red tide bloom. The AtlanticOcean off of Cape Canaveral NationalSeashore had a reported 5.5 millioncells per liter. It is evident on the mapto the right that most of the bloomstays along the Atlantic Coast.Sampling in the Indian River Lagoonwas conducted from Titusville to VeroBeach. The Melbourne area was theonly location to be affected by thebloom where samples taken from theEau Gallie Causeway ranged from 2.3to 6 million cells per liter. The asteriskrepresents samples containing overone million cells per liter which willmake breathing difficult, discolors thewater, causes massive fish kills andeven results in manatee and dolphindeaths. Less than 4 miles south at theMelbourne Causeway, one samplehad over 750,000 cells per liter(indicated by the triangle (100,000-1million cells)), resulting in difficultybreathing and fish kills. North andSouth of the Sebastian inlet alsocontained samples of red tide but werelimited between 5,000 and 100,000cells per liter (indicated by the circle). Above 5,000 cells all shellfish harvesting is closed as the release of toxins from the K.brevis is stored in the organs of shellfish and can lead to health problems in humans if consumed. The Banana Riverreceived its first sample of red tide off of the Minuteman causeway in Oct. where a single sample contained over 500,000cells. Limited sampling would continue in the lagoon region area until the next major bloom of 2002. In Nov. 2002 sampleswere collected from Cocoa Beach to Sebastian Inlet, it was already too late. A red tide bloom was in full effect of the coastwhere some samples collected contained over 12 million cells per liter as indicated by the asterisk marks on the 2002 map.This bloom would work its way south to the Sebastian inlet and eventually to the Ft. Pierce inlet where it would enter thelagoon. The bloom stayed confined to just north of the Sebastian River where samples contained over 300,000 cells and tothe south over 730,000 cells. Once the red tide entered the Ft. Pierce inlet, it seemed to travel north to Vero Beach whereone sample contained over 250,000 cells. The bloom of 02 would last for two months. The red tide bloom in 2007was firstdetected in Volusia County on Oct. 3 and would continue until the middle of Jan. 2008. The bloom would again invade theIndian River Lagoon through the inlets at Ft. Pierce, Sebastian, the locks in Canaveral and New Smyrna. The MosquitoLagoon was plagued the most as two areas contained over 1.2 million cells per liter on December 17 th. In comparison, theBanana River would not exceed 25,000 cells while the Indian River at the Ft. Pierce inlet would not exceed 32,000 cells.The area around Sebastian would reach its record high with over 750,000 cells.

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In addition to his Walk and Talk Tours, Captain Chop has been giving studentsa first hand experience of dolphins, sea turtles and migratory birds on his vessel.He has reached over 20,000 4th and 5 th graders!Every Thursday at 3:00 p.m. at the Ft. Pierce Library Captain “Chop” gives a presentationon the topics below. To complement these talks, there will be a “Walk and Talk Tour” the followingday, at 1:30 p.m. The presentations and the talks are fun, fascinating, and free! For more info,call Vicki at (772)-462-2787.

In addition to his Walk and Talk Tours, Captain Chop has been giving studentsa first hand experience of dolphins, sea turtles and migratory birds on his vessel.He has reached over 20,000 4th and 5th graders!Every Thursday at 3:00 p.m. at the Ft. Pierce Library Captain “Chop” gives a presentationon the topics below. To complement these talks, there will be a “Walk and Talk Tour” the followingday, at 1:30 p.m. The presentations and the talks are fun, fascinating, and free! For more info,call Vicki at (772)-462-2787.

Mar 21 Manatee Search - Learn to spot Manatees and understand their role in the Lagoon.Mar 22 Walk and Talk Tour at Vitolo Family ParkMar 28 Creatures of the Lagoon-Get to know the inhabitants of our priceless EstuaryMar 29 Walk and Talk Tour at Bear Pointe Sanctuary

Fun, Free and Informative! Join us at the BBrroowwnn BBaagg EEdduuccaattiioonnaall EEvveennttss

LAGOON HOUSE BROWN BAG - Every Tuesday at NoonMar 04 Effects of Ocean Temperature Change Captain Dan KipnisMar 11 Seagrasses in the Indian River Lagoon Christy Akers, Environmental SciencesMar 18 Exploring Deep Sea Ocean Vents Ralph Hollis, MRCMar 25 The Economic Advantages of Endangered Species Rodger Pszonowsky, Sea Turtle Preservation SocietyApr 01 Marine Fisheries Attempts to Restock the Indian River Lagoon Jon Shenker, FITApr 08 Distric Restoration Projects Ralph Brown, St. Johns River Water Management DistrictApr 15 Ghost Crabs-A Haunting Dilema Dr. Richard Turner, FITApr 22 The Many Uses of Herbs-Your Questions Answered Cecilia Avitable, The Herb CornerApr 29 The Neighborhood Guide to Stormwater Systems Ed Garland, SJRWMDMay 06 Lights Out for Sea Turtles Rodger Pszonowsky, Sea Turtle Preservation SocietyMay 13 Native Plants Alice Bard, DEPMay 20 Wildlife Rehabilitation-A Personal Odyssey Jerry LollMay 27 Palm Bay’s Stormwater Plan Kaylene Wheeler, City of Palm Bay

GRANT BROWN BAG – 1st and 3rd Friday of the month at Fisherman’s Landing ParkMar 07 The History of Florida Aquaculture and it’s Future Potential Leroy Creswell, UF St. Lucie County ExtensionMar 21 Population Growth and Its Effects on the Indian River Lagoon Jens Tripson, Pelican Island AudobonApr 04 Learn How Estuaries Really Work Bob Bergen, Palm Beach Community CollegeApr 18 Biodiversity in the Indian River Lagoon Leroy Creswell, UF St. Lucie County ExtensionMay 02 Our Local Smithsonian-What it Has to Offer Cristin Ryan, Smithsonian Marine InstituteMay 16 Manatees in the Lagoon Ann Spellman, Florida Fish and Wildlife

Learn About Nature with Capt. Chop

COCOA BEACH BROWN BAG –2nd and 4th Thursday of the month at NoonMar 13 Water Quality in the Indian River Lagoon Michael Wielenga, MRCMar 27 Creating a Sustainable Backyard with Native and Edible Plants Kari Ruder, Naturewise Native Plant NurseryApr 10 How What You do at Home Helps or Harms the Lagoon Jim Egan, MRCApr 24 Uncommon Facts About Common Gamefish Eddie Leonard, UF-Brevard County ExtensionMay 08 Lights Out for Sea Turtles Rodger Pszonowsky, Sea Turtle Preservation SocietyMay 22 To Be Announced

City of SEBASTIAN BROWN BAG – Last Friday of the month at Riverview Park Gazebo at Noon.Mar 28 Artificial Reefs Jonathan Gorham, Indian River CountyMar 21 How to Unhook Tangled Birds Terese Harber, Sebastian Inlet State ParkApr 04 Fish and Wildlife Services Coastal Program Debbie Devore, Florida Fish and Wildlife Services

9

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11

Please Cut Here

Lori Lane Center1301 S. Patrick Dr. #62

Satellite Beach, Fl. 32937

Hours: Tues.-Fri. 10am-5pm Sat. 10am-3pm

Second WindThrift Shop

Marine Resources Council Antiques *Artwork *Clothing* Small Appliances *JewelryBric-a-Brac *Books *ToysHousehold Items *Furniture

CollectiblesAll donations are tax deductible

and support MRC projects

Yes, I want to be a member of the Marine Resources Council. Enclosed is a check for the following membership:

____ Guardian $1,000 Name:_______________________________________________________________

____ Patron $500 Company:________________________________ Title:______________________

____ Sponsor $250 Address:________________________________________ Apt. No.____________

____ Stewardship $100 City:_______________________________________ State:_____ Zip_________

____ Supporting $50 Phone: (H)____________________ (W)__________________Email_____________

____ Family $35 I want to volunteer one or more of the MRC projects. My areas of interest are:

____ General $20 ___Pepper Busting ___Right Whale Spotting ___Office/Clerical ___Thrift Shop

____ Student $5 ___ Fundraising ___Water Quality Monitoring ___Handy Person ___Public Education

Other____________________________ I want to contribute to the MRC Endowment Fund____________

For more info or to have donated items picked up, call 321-779-0590

LINDA MARTIN, PH.D., P.A.PSYCHOLOGIST

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTSEX THERAPIST

630 Brevard Avenue Suite 100Cocoa FL 32922

Phone: (321) 433-1466Fax: (321) 433-1467

Your Ad Could Be Here!$25/Quarterly

$90/YearlyPlease call!

(321) 725-7775

The Marker is published quarterly by the Marine Resources Council, 3275 Dixie HWYNE, Palm Bay, FL 32905 Phone: (321) 725-7775, FAX: (321) 725-3554, E-mail:

council@mrcirl.org, Website: www.mrcirl.org.

The first written report of seasonal fish kills and discolored water (red tide) off the west coast of Florida waspublished in 1542 by A.N. Cabeza de Vaca. On June 17, 1527, A.N. Cabeza de Vaca accompanied six hundredmen on five ships “to conquer and govern the provinces which lie on the mainland from the River of Palms toCape Florida.”

They landed near Tampa Bay but shipwreck, disease, desertion and warfare with the natives would reduce thegroup to only three. They made their way from the west coast of Florida through the southeast to Texas anddown to Mexico to rejoin the Spanish colonies some eight years later. In his 1542 account, La Relacion includesthe first references to red tide in the Gulf. It was not until 1844 that the first official recording of red tide occurredby American Authorities. Additional red tides occurred in the Gulf of Mexico accompanied by fishkills in 1856,1865, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1882, 1883, 1885, 1908, 1916, and 1935. A huge event occurred in 1947 where ahundred pounds of dead fish per foot were reported to accumulate on beaches. A Gulf Hurricane ended that redtide event. The historical accounts prove that the presence of the red tide organism and the fish kill events canoccur naturally, the frequency and extent of the events appear to have increased dramatically, particularly in thelast few decades, suggesting human inputs of pollutants like fertilizers and iron-bearing wastes are magnifyingthe extent of the outbreaks. A red tide event has happened in the Gulf almost every year since the late 1950s.Red Tide Events were virtually unknown on Florida’s East Coast until recent years.

The MarkerNEWS OF THEINDIAN RIVER LAGOONMarine Resources Council3275 Dixie Hwy NEPalm Bay, FL 32905-2511

Printed on recycled paper!

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PaidMelbourne, FLPermit No. 340

2007 MRC Board of Directors

Chairman, Jerry Woods

Vice Chairman, Janet Bonder

Secretary, Walter O. Stieglitz

Treasurer, Diane McCauley

Executive Director, Jim Egan

Board members

Gilbert Kennedy Ted Moorhead

Dr. Philip Newell Steve Chalmers

Sandy Sanderson Kenneth Tworoger

Dr. Richard Baker Michael Brothers

Mary Chapman Charles Grande

Capt. Rodney Smith Thomas P. Bausch

John Whitescarver Dr. Fielding E. Cooley

Ingrid K. Matta Maureen Rupe Dr. David Cox

Steven Kintner Patrick Hayes Frank Catino

Andrew Brady Gary Dotson Marge Ketter

David Botto Sarah Heard Jim Moir

Wesley Davis Howard Wolf Amy Tidd

Advisory Board Members

Dr. Duane DeFreese Dr. Grant Gilmore

Anthony Koromilas Phyllis Woodford

Dr. George Maul Paul Reinhold Margo Stahl

Dr. Ken Kasweck Sue Carlson Jim Swann

History of Red Tide in Florida 1500-1900

This book and thousands of others on the history and scientific study of the Lagoon are available to the public at the MRCLibrary of the Indian River Lagoon supported by the Indian River Lagoon Program. Call (321) 725-7775 for more information.