by John Wells | Jul 1, 2011
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Chris Verlinde
Florida Sea Grant Extension Agent
Santa Rosa County
chrismv@ufl.edu
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The NW Florida Regional Workshop on boating and waterways management will be held in Milton, Florida, August 16 and 17, 2011. The workshop will examine innovative strategies that will assist managers, planners, policy-makers, and other marine interests as they attempt to balance economic vitality with ecologically sound management practices along Northwest Florida’s waterways.
Boat refueling at a recognized Florida Clean Marina. Photo Credits: Andrew Diller
The first day of the workshop will consist of presentations by local and state experts. The second day of the workshop will be half day facilitated planning session designed to allow participants to conduct strategic planning for boating and waterways in Northwest Florida.
Boating and waterways management consists of many aspects including: mooring sites, identification and assessment of boat ramps, characterization of what boaters do when they go boating, endangered and threatened species management, natural resource protection, best management practices to maintain water quality, boating safety, sea level rise, derelict vessels and much more. Waterway and boating issues are important issues that need to be addressed in order to balance the economic impact from our water dependent uses and the health and safety of our water resources.
To make this workshop relevant to participants in NW Florida, please help us determine the topics for the workshop by taking this short survey:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GQHVXZ7
Make plans now to attend this exciting workshop!! For more information, check out the Florida Sea Grant Website http://www.flseagrant.org and click on the NW Boating Workshop icon.
by John Wells | Jul 1, 2011
Chris Verlinde
Florida Sea Grant Extension Agent
Santa Rosa County
chrismv@ufl.edu
What: 11th Annual Seagrass Awareness Celebration
You never know who you’ll meet at the Seagrass Awareness Festival! Photo Credits: Andrew Diller
When: March 26, 2011
See and touch the animals that live in seagrass! Photo Credits: Andrew Diller
10:00 am until 2:00 pm
Where: Shoreline Park South, Gulf Breeze (Across from the Recreation center on Shoreline Drive)
Contact: Chris Verlinde 850-623-3868
Visit http://santarosa.ifas.ufl.edu and click on marine for more information!
Seagrass Awareness is an annual family event held at Shoreline Park South in Gulf Breeze, Florida. This year activities will include live marine life in touch tanks, “eat a seagrass bed,” make a shark tooth necklace, seining, games, fishing, marine creatures, arts and crafts, food, displays, explore a seagrass bed, boating safety, fishing, kayaking and more! In addition, we will have information on scallop and oyster gardening!
Bring your family and friends, water, sunscreen, hat, water shoes, lawn chairs and join us for a fun filled day!
Participating organizations include: The Environmental Education Coordination Team, University of Florida IFAS Extension: Florida Sea Grant Extension, Florida Master Naturalists, Florida Department of Environmental Protection: Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas (CAMA), Ecosystem Restoration; Resource Rangers, the Wildlife Sanctuary of NW Florida, Mil Flores, the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, the Pensacola Recreational Fishing Association and more!
by John Wells | Jul 1, 2011
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Chris Verlinde
Florida Sea Grant Extension Agent
Santa Rosa County
chrismv@ufl.edu
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Seagrasses are a valuable part of the marine environment and support a thriving million-dollar fishery. Most commercial and recreationally important fish, crabs and shrimp spend some time of their lives in seagrass beds. These grass beds help to filter toxins from the water, contribute to water clarity by trapping suspended sediments, provide food and shelter for juvenile fish, shrimp and crabs. In addition, endangered species such as manatees and green sea turtles depend on seagrass beds for food! Migratory birds depend on seagrass beds for foraging needs! Threats to these important resources include: degraded water quality, dredge and fill projects and physical impacts from boat propellers.
Turtle grass and manatee grass. Photo Credits: Lauren M. Hall, SJRWMD
“Seagrass …..it’s alive” is the motto for this initiative. Get involved, and help spread the word about seagrasses! Be creative and provide educational opportunities for your friends, neighbors, fisher-people, boaters and those concerned about water quality.
Many different types of animals live in seagrass beds. Photo Credits: Andrew Diller
What can you do to protect seagrasses?
While boating:
- If you run aground in a seagrass bed, turn off your engine, tilt up the engine and walk or pole your boat out of the shallow water.
- Know water depths and locations of seagrass beds by studying navigational charts.
- Seagrasses are usually found in shallow water and appear as dark spots on the water. Wear polarized sunglasses (to reduce glare) to help to locate these areas.
- Always use a pump-out station.
- Stay in marked channels.
At home:
- To reduce toxins and sediment from entering our waterways, keep a buffer of natural vegetation along your shoreline. This will also reduce erosion and slow flood waters during storm events, which will help protect your property!
- To reduce excess nutrients, plant native plants that don’t require high amounts of fertilizers and pesticides.
- Avoid seagrass beds when planning for dredging activities or pier construction.
- Maintain septic tanks.
In the community:
- Get out and snorkel these incredibly diverse areas! Many sites are easy to access from public parks.
- Get involved with local organizations that promote water quality.
- Tell others what you have learned.
- Don’t litter!
by John Wells | Jul 1, 2011
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Andrew Diller
Florida Sea Grant Extension Agent
Escambia County
apdiller@ufl.edu
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Gulf Islands National Seashore (GINS) is located along the northern Gulf of Mexico in Mississippi and Florida. The Florida properties surround Pensacola, the site of the first European settlement in the United States in 1559. An ideal deep-water harbor protected by a barrier island, a system of coastal defense fortifications dating from early Spanish exploration through World War II guards Pensacola Bay.
Arches support the weight of Fort Pickens Photo Credits: Andrew Diller
When Florida seceded in 1861, Union troops refused to surrender Fort Pickens, the largest of these fortifications that controlled entrance to the harbor. The Civil War could have begun at Fort Pickens, but weather delayed a Confederate attack and South Carolina troops fired on Fort Sumter first. After several unsuccessful battles to take Fort Pickens, Confederate troops abandoned the region and the Union remained in control of Pensacola throughout the war.
The counterscarp wall protected the landward side of Fort Pickens. Photo Credits: Andrew Diller
Located along shipping routes to New Orleans, Mississippi’s Ship Island also played a notable role in the Civil War. An uncompleted fort on the island was taken by Confederate troops early in the war, but was abandoned soon after. Union forces moved in, continued construction of the fort, and staged the successful attack of New Orleans from the island. The Louisiana Native Guard, one of the first black regiments in the U.S. Army, was stationed at this fort known as Fort Massachusetts. Their successful raid on Pascagoula in 1863 was a first for black soldiers in the war.
Sunrise over the dunes at Gulf Islands National Seashore. Photo Credits: Andrew Diller
As coastal defenses evolved, reinforced concrete batteries were constructed on many of the islands. By the end of World War II, improved warfare technology rendered coastal artillery guns obsolete and the forts and batteries were closed. Preservation of the forts and undeveloped barrier islands were the only battles to follow.
Pensacola News Journal editor Jesse Earle Bowden, Mississippi historian M. James Stevens, and Edwin C. Bearss of the National Park Service championed the creation of a National Seashore to protect these historical resources. After convincing municipalities in both states to donate land, Congressmen Robert Sikes of Florida and William M. Colmer of Mississippi presented the bill that was signed by President Richard Nixon in 1971. The National Seashore would also preserve pristine barrier island, coastal, and aquatic ecosystems. With adjacent waters included, more than eighty percent of the park is under water.
Additionally, President John Quincy Adams authorized the first and only federal tree farm in 1828. Live oak trees were cultivated for shipbuilding. The advent of iron and steel warships diminished demand for live oak timber, but this historical forest is preserved at the Naval Live Oaks area of GINS.
Increased coastal development has made the park a sanctuary for a variety of threatened and endangered species including nesting shore birds, beach mice, and sea turtles. Urban stormwater runoff and increased boating activity threaten water quality and seagrass beds. Seagrass beds are nursery grounds for a majority of the commercially valued fish species in the Gulf. Gulf Islands National Seashore continues to work to protect these limited resources while providing public access to the beaches and waterways.
by John Wells | Jul 1, 2011
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Brooke Saari
Florida Sea Grant Extension Agent
Okaloosa & Walton Counties
bsaari@ufl.edu
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Have you ever considered what the Gulf of Mexico means to you? Is it important to you? Putting a value on an ecosystem or the services it provides is very difficult. However, it is done all the time on smaller scales, like the selling of land. The recent oil spill placed a new focus on the Gulf of Mexico and what it means to us.
Planting sea oats to protect dune systems and increase habitat. Photo Credits: Robert Turpin, Escambia County
Each of us may place a different value on the Gulf of Mexico, but the economic value is clear. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service 2008 Fisheries Economics of the United States regional report the gross domestic product for the Gulf of Mexico totaled $2.35 trillion in 2007. In 2008, Florida generated over $5.7 billion sales, 108,600 jobs, and $3.1 billion income impacts due to the fishing industry of the Gulf. Over 54,600 jobs were supported in West Florida alone as part of the recreational fishing industry. These figures represent some of the easily tracked and quantified services that the Gulf of Mexico provides. However, there is more than fishing that makes this water body important. The Gulf of Mexico also provides protective and regulating services. Coastal wetlands in the U.S. provide over $23 million in protection for the mainland. These protections are in the form of sand bars, barrier islands, coastal dunes, and sea grass beds. All of these natural features provide a line of defense against extreme storms, surge, waves and winds which would otherwise need to be provided artificially. These areas also provide essential habitat that supports many of our sport fish, as well as a variety of threatened and endangered species. The currents help fuel weather patterns and climate which are defined by oceans. These massive water bodies are the basis for precipitation which directly impacts and feeds our water supplies, agricultural production and transportation.
Sharing the natural resources of the Gulf. Photo Credits: Andrew Diller
Oceans also provide opportunities for medical advances and educational focus due to the tremendous biological diversity. Cultural services are the ones that most view as valuable on different levels. These services include providing area for bird watching (over 7 million participants), habitat for migrating shorebirds and waterfowl, and a top destination for tourism. Florida ranks in the top ten destinations to fish, swim, dive, and enjoy the beaches and wetlands. The Gulf of Mexico region also contains two of the ten National Seashores of the National Park Service and seven of the twenty-eight estuaries of national significance. Eco-tourism is a way to enjoy these natural areas in a nature friendly way and is a common occurrence in the Gulf of Mexico and surrounding areas.
Kayaking along the Gulf coast. Photo Credits: Andrew Diller
So again, how much does the Gulf of Mexico mean to you? Get out there and enjoy what we have in our own backyard.
by John Wells | Jul 1, 2011
Judy Ludlow
County Extension Director
Calhoun County
judy.ludlow@ufl.edu
Extreme temperatures can cause fish die-offs in Florida’s ponds, estuaries, lakes, and rivers. In large natural areas, these events usually do not cause permanent damage to existing fish populations. Fish die-offs in smaller ponds, although a natural occurrence, can be of concern to the pond owner.
Extreme temperatures can cause fish kills in your pond by reducing oxygen levels suddenly.
In some cases, winter weather can slow the spread of invasive, non-native fish species because some of these non-native fish, like tilapia, are especially susceptible to cold water. The cold water can kill fish outright or may weaken them so that they become more susceptible to disease. Cold weather can also cause a natural process called lake or pond-turnover. Turnover happens when cooled surface water sinks and mixes with deeper, warmer oxygen-poor water (like pouring cold milk into your hot coffee). This mixing, or turnover, with oxygen poor water can cause low oxygen-related fish kills.
As we head towards summer, water that gets too warm also can cause oxygen problems for fish. Warmer water can hold less oxygen than cooler water. Many oxygen-related fish kills happen in the middle of the summer when temperatures are hottest.
Fish need oxygen just as we do, and they absorb oxygen directly from the water as it passes over their gills. Oxygen enters the water primarily by photosynthesis (from algae and aquatic plants) and the atmosphere (wind mixing). The amount of dissolved oxygen (DO) in water depends on a number of factors, especially water temperature (cold water holds more oxygen than warm water) and the water’s biological productivity. For optimum health, most of Florida’s fish need DO concentrations of at least 5 parts per million (or 5 milligrams per liter or 5 mg/L). Fish can tolerate brief periods of reduced oxygen, but if DO levels drop below 2 mg/L, they can’t always recover; and if concentrations fall below 1 mg/L, fish begin to die. Oxygen-related fish kills usually affect many different sizes and species of fish, whereas cold temperature-related fish kills tend to affect only one or two species. If it is an oxygen-related fish kill, large fish tend to be affected first. Small fish can be seen gulping or gasping for air at the surface.
Fish diseases, parasites, and stresses from poor water quality, overcrowding, and human impacts can also lead to fish kills, but the reduction of dissolved oxygen in a water body is the most common cause of fish kills in Florida throughout the year.
Aerating your pond is one way in which to reduce the chances or severity of a fish kill.
For more information on pond management and fish health please contact your local County Extension office.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) tracks fish kill occurrences in Florida’s natural waters. This helps biologists determine if there are problems that may need further investigation or restorative measures. Residents can report fish kills in natural water bodies to the FWC at http://research.MyFWC.com/fishkill/submit.asp or call the FWC Fish Kill Hotline at 800-636-0511, or visit http://myfwc.com/.
