Red Tide — Courtesy: Shutterstock — smcfeeters
A growing “red tide” algae bloom off the southwest coast of Florida is threatening well-known tourist beaches and is being blamed for the deaths of fish and dolphins, prompting environmentalists to urge Governor Ron DeSantis to declare an emergency.
The outbreak, which scientists say started in the Gulf of Mexico last year when Hurricanes Helene and Milton destroyed nutrient-rich waters that support the algae, has prompted health alerts from a number of states.
Along a portion of the Gulf coast, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has been keeping an eye on a large area of red tide, a naturally occurring phenomena brought on by an excess of the dangerous algae Karenia brevis. The deaths of two dolphins discovered offshore in Collier County are thought to be related to the outbreak, and dead fish have washed up on a number of beaches.
In recent years, red tides have become more frequent, in part because of pollution and changing climatic factors including rising ocean temperatures. They can irritate human skin and induce respiratory distress in both humans and animals. They usually go away by January, but in some years, as the strong summer epidemic in 2021, they might persist and get worse, leaving piles of fish, turtles, dolphins, and manatees rotting along the Florida shore.
Although they commend initiatives like DeSantis’s reactivation of a red tide taskforce in 2019 and his signing of a house bill last year extending money for study, the environmental groups argue not enough is being done to address the root of the issue.
“The government has not done a very good job of controlling or fixing polluted waterways while providing funds for engineering solutions,” said Eric Milbrandt, head of the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation’s (SCCF) marine lab.
In the past, the group has connected human activity—including the release of hazardous runoff from agricultural production—to the escalation of red tide episodes.
It’s challenging to address because there are many of them in the state of Florida and they are non-point sources of pollution. Although the state’s investments in engineering technology are commendable and show potential, Milbrandt stated that they will probably only be used for smaller blooms.
From the standpoint of response, it ought to resemble a hurricane in terms of emergency management. Currently, it depends on the Florida Wildlife Research Institute to gather the samples and the Department of Health to post it. By the time it starts to harm a city, millions of dollars in revenue and the tourism industry might be at risk.
“All we want is for something to occur here. Similar to an emergency management strategy, a statewide approach would be beneficial.
Together with experts from Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Sarasota’s Mote Marine Laboratory, FWC researchers share accountability for mitigating red tides and highlight advancements accomplished under DeSantis’s tenure.
In addition to adding new metrics and increasing routine sampling, FWC is working with a team to develop an event reaction survey. FWC spokesperson Jonathan Veach stated in a statement, “We have enhanced communication tools, such as producing a series of educational red tide animated videos.”
“FWC develops severity metrics based on bloom duration and extent in collaboration with partners. An official declaration of emergency would not be made by our agency.
“This red tide bloom is still fairly typical in terms of timing, intensity, and location, even though we recognize the current intensification,” Veach continued.
Since the first red tide formations appeared in October, DEP staff have been collaborating closely with FWC and health department employees to involve local governments and stakeholders throughout south-west Florida, according to a DEP spokesperson.
“Florida is still prepared to support impacted counties and is dedicated to an all-hands-on-deck strategy,” stated Alexandra Kuchta, the state’s communications director.
“Although none has been requested thus far, dedicated funding is available to support local communities in their red tide response activities, including aid for this event if necessary. $5 million was set aside for the fiscal year 2024–2025, and an extra $5 million was suggested for 2025–2026.
“Deployed immediately to protect water quality and public health from future harmful algal blooms, including red tide response,” Kuchta continued, after DeSantis authorized money for novel technologies.
According to a Mote spokesman who spoke to the Guardian, the bloom in southwest Florida gave their researchers their first chance to “field test” a number of mitigation techniques on an active bloom in unregulated open water.
We’ve come a long way in our understanding of this species’ lab rat counterpart. According to Milbrandt of SCCF, “the wild type, so to speak, that’s out in the ocean can behave in ways you can’t replicate in the test tube.”
As of Tuesday, a page on the federal Environmental Protection Agency website blamed more frequent and dangerous algal blooms like the one threatening the Florida Gulf coast on the climate emergency, particularly warmer ocean waters.
“Harmful algal blooms can occur more frequently, in more fresh or marine waterbodies, and can be more intense with a changing climate,” the report says.
At least so far, the page seems to have eluded the Trump administration’s campaign to remove any reference to the climate problem from official websites. According to Michael Mann, a climate scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, DeSantis and Florida “were indeed the test bed” for such censoring at the federal level. Florida already has a law that removes references to “climate change” from state legislation.
“At this stage, nothing would surprise me, including the administration’s and its polluters’ efforts to prohibit all administration agencies from mentioning climate change,” he said.
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Melissa’s career in writing started more than 20 years ago. Today, she lives in South Florida with her husband and two boys.
