Can I ask a question here? What in the world in going on in Florida with all the dead marine llife?

[CatWoman]

I keep seeing memes on Facebook and other sites, but there's never an explanation?

Thousands and thousands of fish and manatees, too

[NCTraveler]

1. It's twofold.

Big sugar is having a devastating impact. It's what is getting the manatee's and destroying a lot of our waterways. Second is a direct result of global warming and big sugar. Red Tide is increasing in scope and scale.

Much of the hell big sugar is having on our waterways is being written off as red tide.

How the runoff from big sugar is being diverted is devastating. Much from releases from Lake Okeechobee discharge. Green slime and red tide are two different beasts. Yet they both hate wildlife and the rest of the environment.

[atreides1]

2. Red Tide

Here you go!


https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/08/15/red-tide-state-emergency-florida-explained/997165002/

[CatWoman]

7. I was about to ask, "what's red tide"?

before I clicked on the link.

Thanks.

[Aristus]

3. FREEDOM!

After all, a clean planet is Item One on the socialist agenda...

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Red Tide. It's toxic algae.

https://www.newsweek.com/florida-red-tide-algae-2018-1079595

[MineralMan]

5. Red Tide, and blue-green algae.

It's worse than ever this year, in part because they have diverted the outflow from Lake Okeechobee to run straight to the Atlantic and Gulf, rather than being dispersed widely via the Everglades.

So, massive amounts of nutrients from farming are flowing into the Atlantic and Gulf and feeding the organisms that result in the toxic bloom.

Stupidity is why, along with global climate change to add to the stress on the environment.

[hatrack]

6. One-two punch - red tides (brevetoxin) plus blue-green algae (so-called) . . . .

The "algae" is actually a bacterial bloom.

Both are toxic to sea life - fish, marine mammals, shellfish, everything - and as the blooms get bigger, they're getting worse.

Both are naturally occurring, but warming and outflow of ag wastewater, unregulated septic systems and a rainy summer are making things way worse than they would be otherwise.

In fact, it's gotten so bad that Rick Scott has been force to act as if he cares about environmental issues.

[CatWoman]

11. do you think he will suffer repercussions from this?

[hatrack]

12. Very possibly - he oversaw the gutting of state environment agency budgets . . .

And layoffs of 100s of employees - scientists, technicians, analysts. Remember that this is the guy who forbade the use of "global warming" and "climate change" in reports.


Now that the cheese has begun to bind (as in cancelled bookings, evaporating fishing charters, beaches covered in dead fish, dead turtles and the occasional dead manatee), he's got a lot of pissed-off voters and steamed business owners on his hands.


Gov. Gollum is trying to blame Bill Nelson, which could work, but hard to say. His own responsibility is substantially larger, I'd argue.

[Blue_true]

17. How is Nelson responsible. He does not control environmental regulatory bodies like Scott does. nt

[retread]

8. pRick Scott and repug leg.

[Iggo]

9. Fuck reggulations.

[HopeAgain]

10. Because we are subsidizing an industry we don't even need.

Big sugar controls much of Florida politics.

[beachbum bob]

13. Always an explanation, some choose not post it.

[cwydro]

14. Remember the chemical Corexit? They dumped tons of that crap after the Horizon spill.

Obama allowed it. Though I voted for him both times, I’ll never forgive or forget that.

All it did was get the problem out of sight, which is what the oil companies wanted.

That stuff will kill forever.

[Poiuyt]

15. Does anyone know if the Red Tide is expected to go away by tourist season?

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

16. Interesing.. We've been having a seal die off problem in Maine

https://www.necn.com/news/new-england/Researchers-Continue-Investigation-on-Sudden-Deaths-of-Maine-Seals-491100431.html

[Blue_true]

18. That does look bad. Hope scientists find out something fast. nt

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

19. Latest info is that they think the seals are dying from a virus.

https://www.pressherald.com/2018/08/23/initial-tests-find-viruses-in-dead-seals-along-maine-coast/