Dead tarpon – cover girl for Florida’s water management stupidity, Big Sugar greed, and politics as usual. Photo courtesy of Florida Sportsman.
Stop Feeding Florida’s Toxic Blooms Now
BullSugar / August 23, 2018
The bad news keeps piling up. Toxic blooms on Florida’s west coast are getting worse. The east coast just saw its first official beach closure. New analysis shows Lake Okeechobee pollution spiking. And Florida’s Department of Health is misinforming the public about health risks.
Things look bleak right now. Dead dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, even a whaleshark have washed up on southwest Florida beaches this summer. Red tide invaded the coast from Tampa to Sanibel, also killing gamefish by the ton: tarpon, snook, redfish, grouper, and more or less everything that swims is being trucked to landfills. On the other side of the state the situation isn’t much better:
Beach caligraphy. NOAA image.
Never underestimate the power of dangerous waves
This story map depicts six dangers at the beach and shows how NOAA helps mitigate risks for the nearly 190 million people who visit America’s beaches, Great Lakes and other waterways every year. In the U.S., about 10 people drown each day.
Beware of Sneaker Waves, High Surf Waves, Shorebreak Waves and the grip of the rip. Also, the dangers of lightning, heat, algal blooms, and cold water. And do you know how to recognize a Tsunami looks like?
Almost two decades ago we created Katabatic Consulting and Katabatic Mountain School to provide remote medical consulting and training for companies and individuals operating in remote environments.
Wilderness First Aid Courses & Medical Solutions for the Angling Community
Finns West provides straightforward, no non-sense Wilderness First Aid training and Medical Logistics for guides, outfitters, anglers and lodge staff.
“We are not only medical providers and educators but fishing guides as well…we understand the environment you work and play in.” — Oliver White, Owner/Guide Abaco Lodge & Bair’s Lodge and Yellow Dog Fly Fishing Host.
There’s no denying red snapper is delicious. There’s also no denying if we kill too many, no one gets a bite. Photo public domain.
The law that saved America’s fisheries from ruin gets gutted
Overfished!
“Healthy fish populations aren’t just good for the ecosystem,” said Meredith Moore, director of the Fish Conservation Program at the Ocean Conservancy. “Fishermen, both commercial and recreational, benefit most when there are sustainable fish populations in the water to catch.” Moore isn’t alone in saying this. Hundreds of organizations, fishermen coalitions, businesses, scientists, and conservationists representing fisheries on all three American coasts have publicly opposed H.R. 200. They continue to draft letters to Congress while shifting their attention to the Senate, where they hope to see this legislation halted.
“In the simplest terms, it’s a bad bill,” said Blazer. “It’s bad for fish. It’s bad for commercial fishermen. It’s even bad for recreational fishermen in the long term. Politics and fisheries don’t mix. But in this case, we see politics driving the boat on this.”
