Endangered sea turtles increase in Florida

Endangered Leatherback sea turtles are increasing in Florida, according to reliable nest counts. The Endangered Species Act is working! Quoting a press release:

The population boom of turtle nests in the Sunshine State mirrors trends observed for other Atlantic leatherback sea turtle populations and is "very encouraging news," says Larry B. Crowder, director of the Duke Center for Marine Conservation. "It suggests that conservation and recovery efforts mandated under the Endangered Species Act are paying off region-wide."

The growth has likely been fueled in part by improved monitoring and protection of nesting beaches over the last 30 years, Crowder says, but other less benign factors may also be at work.

"Nesting is increasing even where beach protection has not been enhanced," he says. "Changing ocean conditions linked to climate variability may be altering the marine food web and creating an environment that favors turtles by reducing the number of predators and increasing the abundance of prey, particularly jellyfish."

With plenty of jellyfish to munch on, breeding-age female leatherbacks may be able to build up fat reserves more quickly, allowing them to nest more frequently, says Kelly Stewart, lead author of the study. Stewart received her Ph.D. from Duke in 2007 and conducted the research on Florida's leatherback sea turtles as her dissertation research. Crowder was her faculty adviser.

Reduced populations of large predators, including the collapse of shark populations in the northwest Atlantic over the past decade, may be playing an even larger role in the turtle boom by decreasing at-sea mortality rates for juvenile and young adult turtles, she says.

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Ray jumps on top of boating woman

Bad luck, a large eagle ray jumped out of the water and landed on top of a woman boating in Florida. And the woman had a rough day too.

It ended well for the 5.5 foot, 200 pound eagle ray after it was hoisted back into the water. Oh, and the woman was fine after she managed to get our from under the thrashing fish. Her children were a bit upset after watching the surprising scene, but the family continued their ray-watching trip.

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Odd chill kills florida corals

Cold water burbling up from the depths has stunned and killed some of Florida's endangered coral.

...as if the ocean acid monster, global warming, and eutrophication weren't enough of a problem already...

Nobody knows why, but a spate of cold water squirted up from the deep ocean--where it's always cold--and gave corals and fish an icy bath that was too much for some. Dead tropical fish on the ocean bottom was one of the first signs of trouble, according to a dive instructor.

The cold water was especially harmful since it came during the warmest time of year, in summer. Alternately heating and chilling corals and fish is even more stressful than either warm or cold water alone.

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Putting garbage in the ocean on purpose?

I guess it's ok if you sink a big old warship and call it a "reef." In fact, it's not only OK, it's an economic opportunity. Project officials expect the $8 million cost of the project to be recovered in just a year of wreck-diving related revenue.

I like to dive underwater and look at things, but I've never understood the fascination with diving on wrecks. I'd rather look at ocean stuff than human stuff underwater. If I want to see deteriorating hulks, I can just go to a junkyard.

The warship Vandenberg was all done warshipping and needed to go somewhere. So the Key West Dive community put together an effort to sink the ship where divers can enjoy it and spend a pile of money enjoying it. Call it economic development. I wish they put the effort into natural habitats, making natural diving better.

Oh well, nobody asked me.

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Your lionfish don't want to be free

Lionfish get a primetime spotlight tonight on NBC News for their ability to deliver powerful stings and eat their way through Florida's reefs.
According to the article, OSU's Dr. Mark Hixon will be releasing a new paper showing that "one lionfish can deplete 79% of a reef in five weeks."

Let this be a reminder that, like puppies and babies, lionfish are a long-term commitment and you can't just abandon them when you get bored. Florida's grouper thank you.

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Florida ocean life washed up on beach

Strange doings down in Florida, beachwatchers found oodles of ocean creatures washed up on beaches.

The speculation is that extra-cold water, 9 degrees colder than normal, stunned the animals so that they couldn't hold their positions in shallow water and they got captured by wind-driven currents and dumped onto the beach. A natural event that turned into a bonanza for collecters.

Let's hope it's not just the result of another dead zone. (Note: image not from this event.)

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Fake grouper in Florida

If you want grouper in Florida, good luck. A recent test found 75% of fish sold as grouper was really something else.

The great seafood masquerade goes on...and on...and on. Today it's fake grouper, last year it was fake red snapper. This is not the way to build consumer confidence in seafood.

If you want to know how to tell if someones selling you a fake grouper, here's some advice from the Florida Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and Commissioner Charles Bronson.

The Dept. will work hard to tell you that Florida seafood is best, even though they know it might not be what the label says. It's an interesting dual mission, promote seafood but also stop fraud. But with a name like Charles Bronson, the Commissioner ought to be up to the task.

Wanna learn more about seafood fraud? The FDA has some advice. It's a bit intimidating, all the ways can someone take your money and give you less than you paid for? There's illegal substitution, legal market names that can be misleading, water added to increase weight, breaded fish that has more bread than fish, etc. etc.

The best way to get what you're paying for is to be a smart consumer, and who has time for that. Perhaps even better, get to know your seafood sellers and find one that you trust.

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Seabirds dying off Florida

Seabirds are dying off Florida. The cause is unknown, but this is eerily similar to mass seabird deaths that have been seen off the US west coast in the last couple of years.

Greater shearwaters are one of the open ocean birds found dead or dying, and this is strange because they're normally always found offshore, rarely seen by people.

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Florida algae bloom kills seagrass

Slime is winning in some of southern Florida's bays; seagrass beds are being killed by a smothering algae bloom, with no cure in sight.

The damage is where populated southeastern Florida drips into the Keys, Biscayne Bay and Florida Bay. Nutrient runoff is a suspected cause, from a canal and a road project that used mulched mangroves.

The biggest worry is that an accelerating cycle of algae bloom and decay could create a low oxygen dead zone and wipe out marine life, similar to an event a decade ago.

Efforts are underway to educate people on nutrients and algae, but there's a long ways to go.

Florida is a great ocean state, and we know what's needed to make things better. Come on, Florida, we know you can do it!! The mermaids of Weeki Wachee are watching.

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Florida MPA working after 5 years

Sportfishing magazine reports that the Tortugas Ecological Reserve is working, 5 years after implementation. Fish are more numerous and bigger in areas closed to fishing.

The benefits are appearing fast, and in some surprising ways. Spawning aggregations are reappearing and the benefits seem likely to spread to nearby areas that can be fished.

Reports of success in the sportfishing press? Does that mean that future MPA proposals will meet with less resistence?

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Good news for goliath grouper?

Goliath grouper are making a comeback in parts of Florida, and that's reason to cheer. These magnificent fish are now coming off the "species of concern" (=intensive care) list.

Goliath grouper (formerly known as jewfish) can get very LARGE (more than 800 pounds--much bigger than your refrigerator!) and they're popular since they can be easily seen or caught in shallow waters. (web video of a battle with a goliath-ya gotta see this, worth the long load time)

It took a fishing ban to start these fish on the road to recovery, and pressure is already mounting to end the ban. Fishing for goliath grouper now is like resuming a boxing match after a knocked-down boxer has barely struggled up off the floor. Will these fish be allowed to recover?

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