This week as I watched the tribute to John Lewis, the American politician and civil rights leader, being eulogized by past presidents of both parties, I was inspired anew by the message of this great American. Lewis encouraged people to speak up and more importantly do something when they see wrongs that need to be righted. While Lewis will be remembered for his bravery in the face of incredible hostility and hatred centered on human rights, I take his message to heart in the threat to our local waters and the habitat that supports it.
The love of coastal habitats has played a defining role in my life. Memories and friendships forged while fishing have led to my determination to speak to others (like you). We need to marshal our resources to protect these irreplaceable treasures so that future generations might have the same opportunities we’ve had.
I’ve written often about the pressures on our fisheries and more recently about the insults that water quality and habitat destruction pose. Recently I’ve become even more alarmed at what I’m seeing on the waters that surround our homes. I fear that there’s actually a possibility of a collapse of the natural systems that support the fish we seek. If you live near the water you’ve experienced the massive blooms of lyngbya (a dangerous cyanobacteria) that have choked canals and boat basins in our island communities as well as the unprecedented bloom that recently blanketed the shore from Perico Bayou to Palma Sola Bay and beyond.
I’m no scientist but it doesn’t take a degree in biology to recognize that we are surrounded by troubled waters. Sarasota Bay Watch (SBW) was formed after the devastating harmful (red tide) algae bloom of 2005 that lasted for 13 months. SBW is involving citizens in the region in the health of our Gulf, bays and estuaries. The organization has done an excellent job through initiatives that seek to bring water-filtering shellfish back to healthy populations, remove fishing line from bird rookeries, remove trash and invasive plants from coastal islands and educate future stakeholders.
Other organizations like the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), long champions of protecting fisheries stocks, have begun partnering with groups like SBW and supporting their efforts to stock clams in Sarasota Bay. They also have a robust program of raising and releasing redfish in an attempt to counter the effects of the even more destructive red tide bloom of 2018.
I have supported both organizations since their founding but recently had an epiphany. While I will continue to support groups that work to restore fish and bivalves, it dawned on me that if we don’t address the root problem, i.e. water quality, all other efforts will ultimately lead to failure. This realization led to my involvement with Suncoast Waterkeeper, an organization that addresses these issues. Through outreach, education and advocacy, Waterkeeper groups around the world defend communities against anyone who threatens their right to clean water, from polluters to unresponsive government agencies. The local group founded by Sarasota environmental attorney Justin Bloom has been effective in forcing municipalities from St. Petersburg to Sarasota to adhere to the laws set down in the landmark Clean Water Act. The legislation signed into law in 1972 establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters. Locally the law has allowed Suncoast Waterkeeper to force municipalities to address and redress the release of wastewater that has raised nutrient levels in local waters to dangerous levels. Recently, some high-profile sewage spills in Manatee County and Longboat Key, exacerbated by antiquated infrastructure and exploding population growth have been front page news. Unfortunately, these releases are just contributions to a much larger problem. While the root of the problem is too many people, that is an issue that we must accept and find a way to ameliorate.
Recently both Sarasota and Manatee County have contributed millions of dollars to build a world class aquarium near I-75. While I understand the educational principle behind such a project, it seems to me that the money would be better spent fixing the infrastructure that is threatening our “natural aquarium.” Hopefully, we won’t be using aquariums to show our children and future generations what our natural waters “were” like.
Fortunately, it’s not too late to save these precious resources. Sarasota County, in a settlement with Suncoast Waterkeeper, is transitioning to an advanced wastewater system and committed to supporting clean water. To their credit, Manatee County commissioners recently approved a Conservation Referendum that will appear on the November ballot. Voting yes on the referendum would mean approving a property tax increase to create a conservation fund. This will cost the average homeowner about $29 a year, equivalent to 12 McDonalds hamburgers. The “Water Quality, Fish and Wildlife Habitat Preservation and Parks” funding will allow the county to issue bonds of up to $50 million.
Do your part by voting for proposals and leaders both locally and federally that support clean water and clean air. Check their voting record at the League of Conservation Voters www.lcv.org. Join with Suncoast Waterkeeper to help with local clean water initiatives at www.suncoast waterkeeper.org. Learn about Sarasota Bay Watch and its shellfish restoration program at www.sarasotabaywatch.org.
Next week, let’s go fishing when Reel Time on the Road goes to Dillon, Montana.
