by Rick O'Connor | Jul 27, 2016
Who does not like St. Joseph Bay! What a place… One of the more pristine estuaries in Florida, St. Joe is famous for its snorkeling, fishing, kayaking, and scalloping.
15 miles long and 6 miles across (at its widest point), St. Joe Bay has no significant freshwater input. It’s only opening is to the north and into the Gulf of Mexico. Because of the high salinity in the bay the seagrasses flourish. There are five known species that exist here and the meadows cover almost one sixth of the bottom. Healthy grasses mean diverse wildlife – and St. Joe Bay has it. Migratory birds, octopus, sea turtles, sport fish, urchins, and of course scallops.
The UF/IFAS Extension Natural Resource Agents will be hosting one of their water school programs in St. Joe Bay in September. This two-day program will offer presentations by specialists on a variety of topics, hikes through the uplands, visits to the salt marsh, and a kayak/snorkel trip into the seagrasses themselves. We will be staying at the St. Joseph Bay State Buffer Preserve in Port St. Joe. For more information about this program contact Erik Lovestrand at (850) 653-9337 or elovestrand@ufl.edu.
by Rick O'Connor | Jul 1, 2016
Yep, each year cable TV broadcast their classic summer series SHARK WEEK. Actually there are several shark series running now. It all began with Jaws in the early ‘70’s and ever since Americans have been enthralled with programs on these animals.
Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas). Gulf of Mexico. Credit: SEFSC Pascagoula Laboratory; Collection of Brandi Noble, NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC.
We have learned a lot about sharks over the years, and have a better understanding of their behaviors. As fascinating as that information is, it is still the cause of attack that interest most people. There is a great fear of these animals, despite the statistics that say the risk of attack is very low. Millions will watch Shark Week with wonder and awe… and will be a little reluctant to enter the water afterwards. Of course the attacks that occurred on the Carolina’s last summer has some on edge.
So what is the actual risk? In the June edition of Smithsonian magazine there is an article that discusses the possibility of actually eliminating mosquitoes from our environment – that’s another story – but in the article they quote some statistics from the National Institute of Health. They mention the number of humans who die from mosquito bites each year. According to this data 725,000 humans die each year, worldwide, from diseases transmitted from mosquito bites. Between 20,000 and 200,000 from parasites transmitted by snails. Between 55,000 and 60,000 rabies transmitted from dogs. And for shark attacks… 6. Annually 6 people die each year from shark attacks. Think about that… the number of humans who swim in the world’s oceans each year… approximately 50 will be attacked and 6 will die. It is fair to say that the risk is very low.
Dr. George Burgess, Florida Museum of Natural History, is the “keeper” of the International Shark Attack File. This database houses all the unprovoked shark attacks that occur worldwide. By definition an unprovoked attack must (1) occur in its natural environment – no bites in aquariums will count, (2) the individual did not grab or poke at the shark. Biting the boat is not considered an attack under their definition either. Based on this, 2015 was a record year. 164 attacks were reported worldwide, 98 of these were logged as unprovoked. This broke the 2000 record of 88 however only 6.1% of the 2015 attacks were fatal – compared to 11% in 2000. Dr. Burgess stresses this point. What we are seeing is an increase number of swimmers in the oceans each year. It is only natural that the number of attacks would go up. Even though the number of attacks are increasing the number of people entering the water is increasing at a greater rate – the actual rate of attacks/human in the water is decreasing, and has been for over a decade now. Another factor in the increase number of attacks is the University’s improved method of collecting data. Originally it was by word of mouth and phone calls. Today with go-pros, cell phones, and the internet, they are logging attacks that were missed in previous years.
Why are fatalities so low?
Dr. Burgess points to better safety procedures and first aid, particularly in the U.S. 59 of the 98 shark attacks logged last year were in the United States. Six of these were fatal (1.7%) which is much lower than the rest of the world (12.8%). Dr. Burgess states that our safety and first aid programs are responsible for this. Florida ranks number one among states with 30 attacks. This probably does not make the visitor to our area feel good, but most of these were in Volusia and Brevard counties. There were no attacks in the Florida panhandle in 2015. Of those attacked, 49% were surfing, 42% were swimming, 9% snorkeling, and no attacks occurred for SCUBA divers.
The Scalloped Hammerhead is one of five species of hammerheads in the Gulf. It is commonly found in the bays. Photo: Florida Sea Grant
Many of these statistics still make folks nervous but when compared to parasites and motorcycle accidents, the risk is very low. Sharks are actually fascinating creatures which provide ecological services to our system – such as culling sick and diseased snapper, creating a stronger healthy snapper population. The majority of the programs shown during Shark Week will not discuss these characteristics of the creature but focus on attack stories. Well… enjoy the shows but remember that, though shark attacks do occur, and they can be horrific, they are very rare and should not keep you from enjoying our Gulf.
Enjoy your holiday.
by Rick O'Connor | Jun 17, 2016
The “Prayer of the Woods” is an attitude that many in this part of the panhandle try to live.
Photos: Molly O’Connor
30A in south Walton County is a special place.
Undiscovered for years, then developed… but developed more sustainably than most coastal panhandle communities – this area has now become a go-to destination for many in the southeastern U.S. Grayton Beach, Seaside, Water Color, and others were developed with idea of walkable-biking community and allowing as much nature to remain as possible. Many subdivisions use native plants for their landscaping. It is a neat area to explore.
My base camp for this part of our ICW tour was Topsail State Park. Though there are numerous other locations to camp, they were all full… the 30A Song Writers Festival was going on at the time. The first thing I noticed was a bike trail that extends much of 30A itself. There were locations along the way where visitors can rent bicycles and it is a great way to take in the scenery… and there is scenery. Some of the more majestic dunes I have seen anywhere along the panhandle are found here. Dunes in Pensacola use to look like these but storms have taken their toll – somehow the dunes of 30A were spared.
The spectacular dunes of south Walton County.
The wind sculpted plants of the tertiary dunes.
You cannot talk about the dunes without talking about the dune lakes. Scattered across much of the panhandle the highest concentration, and least impacted, of these lakes are found here in Walton County. These freshwater lakes are separated from the high saline Gulf of Mexico by a field of dunes. There are channels that connect them but these are sometimes closed by moving sand. When open, these channels allow the brown tannic waters of the lakes to spill into the Gulf – a weird sight which trigger thoughts of pollution. You can see evidence of high tides entering the lakes with the presence of cordgrass and needlerush (classic salt marsh plants) and species of marine fish such as stingray and redfish. There is access to some of the dune lakes via the state parks. Here there are trails along the shore and through the dunes, and kayaks to rent. The gulf is not but a few feet away – this is a great place to bring snorkel gear or binoculars for birding.
One of the many “jewels of south Walton” – the dune lakes.
In the distance you can see the brown-tannic water of a dune lake entering the Gulf of Mexico.
Black Needlerush is one of the species of marsh grasses that live in brackish conditions.
Dune trail at Grayton Beach State Park
The Gulf of Mexico in south Walton County.
Another view of the Gulf of Mexico.
The boardwalk of Deer Lake State Park off of Highway 30-A. you can see the tracks of several types of mammals who pass under at night.
There are additional state park and state forest trail heads along 30A to explore. Accommodations are hard to come by during peak season so you will have to plan ahead – but a few days here is worth it.
If visiting the Escambia / Santa Rosa area be sure to check out the Naturally EscaRosa website and download the app to find great outdoor adventures in the western panhandle.
by Rick O'Connor | Jun 10, 2016
I have played in the waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico all of my life… but I have never heard of this – “sea lice.” It has been in the news recently and I have had a couple inquiries concerning it so I decided to investigate.
A few weeks ago there was a report of “sea lice” in Walton County. Bathers were leaving the water with a terrible skin condition that was itchy and painful, particularly in areas beneath their bathing suits. Photos of this show a series of welts over the area – almost like a rash. What was causing it? And what can you do about it?
Illustration of the “thimble jellyfish”.
Graphic: University of Michigan
My first stop was Dr. Chris Pomory, an invertebrate zoologist at the University of West Florida. Dr. Pomory indicated that the culprit was most probably the larva of a small medusa jellyfish called the thimble jellyfish (Linuche unguiculata), though he included that it could be caused by the larva any of the smaller medusa. Dr. Maia McGuire, Florida Sea Grant, told me a colleague of hers was working on this issue when she was in grad school at the University of Miami. Published in 1994, it too pointed the finger at the larva of the thimble jellyfish. Here I found the term “Sea Bathers Eruption” (SBE) associated with occurrences of this. I also found another report of SBE from Brazil in 2012 – once again pointing the finger at the thimble jellyfish larva. So there you go… the most probable cause is the larva of the thimble jellyfish. Note here though… Dr. McGuire indicated that SBE was something that was problematic in south Florida and the Caribbean… reports from the northern Gulf are not common.
So what is this “thimble jellyfish”?
Most know what a jellyfish is but many may not know there are two body forms (polyp and medusa) and may not know about their life cycles. The classic jellyfish is what we call a medusa. These typically have a bell shaped body and, undulating this bell, swim through the water dragging their nematocyst-loaded tentacles searching for food. Nematocysts are small cells that contain an extendable dart with a drop of venom – this is what causes the sting. Nematocysts are released by a triggering mechanism which is stimulated either by pressure (touch) or particular chemicals in the water column – hence the jellyfish cannot actually fire it themselves. The thimble jellyfish are dioecious, meaning there are male and females, and the fertilized eggs of the mating pair are released into the ocean. These young develop into a larva called planula, and these seem to be the source of the problem. Drifting in the water column they become entrapped between your skin and your bathing suit where the pressure of the suit against the skin, especially after leaving the water, causes the nematocyst to fire and wham – you are stung… multiple times. The planula larva are more common near the surface so swimmers and snorkelers seem to have more problems with them.
So what can be done if you encounter them?
Well – there are two schools of thought on this. (1), go ahead and stimulate the release of all nematocysts on your body and get it over with or (2) do everything you can to keep any more nematocysts from “firing”. Some prefer #1 – they will use sand and rub over the area where the jellyfish larva are. This will trigger the release of any unfired nematocyst, you will deal with the pain, and it will be over. However, you should be aware that many humans have a strong reaction to jellyfish stings and that firing more nematocysts may not be in your best interest. Some will want to take a freshwater shower to rinse them off. This too will trigger any unfired nematocysts and you will be stung yet again. Using vinegar will have the same response as freshwater.
So what do you if you DO NOT to get stung more? Well… the correct answer is to get the bathing suit off and rinse in seawater that DOES NOT contain the larva… easier said than done – but is the best bet.
Is there any relief for the pain and itch?
Dr. McGuire provided the following:
Once sea bather’s eruption occurs (and you have taken off your swimsuit and showered), an application of diluted vinegar or rubbing alcohol may neutralize any toxin left on the skin. An ice pack may help to relieve any pain. The most useful treatment is 1% hydrocortisone lotion applied 2-3 times a day for 1-2 weeks. Topical calamine lotion with 1% menthol may also be soothing. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and aspirin (but not in children) may also help to reduce pain and inflammation. If the reaction is severe, the injured person may suffer from headache, fever, chills, weakness, vomiting, itchy eyes and burning on urination, and should be treated with oral prednisone (steroids). The stinging cells may remain in the bathing suit even after it dries, so once a person has developed sea bather’s eruption, the clothing should undergo machine washing or be thoroughly rinsed in alcohol or vinegar, then be washed by hand with soap and water. Antihistamines may also be of some benefit. Other treatments that have been suggested include remedies made with sodium bicarbonate, sugar, urine, olive oil, and meat tenderizer although some of these some may increase the release of toxin and aggravate the rash. Symptoms of malaise, tummy upsets and fever should be treated in the normal fashion.
This is a “new kid on the block” for those of us in the northern Gulf. It has been in south Florida and the Caribbean for a few decades. As the Gulf warms, more outbreaks may occur, there is really not much to be done about that. Hopefully most reactions will be minor, as with any other jellyfish sting.
For more information visit the Florida Department of Health.
by Rick O'Connor | Jun 3, 2016
For several years now Dr. Angela Collins, with Florida Sea Grant, has been conducting research on the status of the Goliath Grouper. This extremely large member of the Family Serranidae has been of concern to fishermen, divers, and resource managers in south Florida. The harvest of goliath groupers has been prohibited since 1990 but their populations have certainly increased. Once found throughout the Gulf region, they became rare from recreational and commercial harvesting in the 1970’s and 80’s; most of the fish that were encountered were encountered in southwest Florida. Today, their numbers have increased and records of the animal have been logged from Tampa Bay, the Big Bend, and now from the Panhandle region. At this point FWC is not sure whether the numbers have recovered enough to remove the ban from harvesting.
Three goliath groupers over wreck in southwest Florida. Photo: Bryan Fluech Florida Sea Grant
Each year, during the first week of June, Dr. Collins conducts a statewide survey of Goliath Grouper encounters. She is particularly interested in Goliath Grouper sightings in the panhandle. This year the survey will begin this Sunday – June 5 and extend to Saturday June 11. Any diver interested in participating in the survey should contact their local Sea Grant Agent to obtain the official data sheet. These sheets can be scanned and returned to your local Sea Grant Agent – or you can contact them for alternative methods for submitting the results.
We hope local divers will consider helping us with this needed information. These data sheets will be part of the annual assessment of the status of this neat fish. For more information visit the Florida Sea Grant website (https://www.flseagrant.org/news/2016/06/great-goliath-grouper-county-provides-fisheries-managers-stock-assessment-data/).
