FORT MYERS – Hurricane Ian not solely ravaged southwest Florida on land however was damaging underwater as effectively. It destroyed man-made reefs and introduced alongside pink tide, the dangerous algae blooms that kill fish and birds, in accordance to marine researchers who returned final week from a six-day cruise organized by the Florida Institute of Oceanography.
Researchers who used the cruise to examine marine life within the Gulf of Mexico following the hurricane say it left in its wake pink tide and destroyed synthetic reefs from as distant as 30 miles from the coast of southwest Florida.
“The one-time vibrant reefs are now underwater disaster sites themselves,” stated Calli Johnson, security dive officer for the analysis cruise. “Where there used to be a complete ecosystem, there are now only fish that were able to return after swimming away.”
Before the Category 4 storm made landfall a month in the past, southwest Florida had a fame for being top-of-the-line saltwater fishing locations within the U.S. Saltwater and freshwater fishing in Florida has an financial affect of round $13.8 billion, in accordance to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
“Time will tell how this affects our greater economy, because changes in the fishing industry and tourism will come from changes in our underwater world,” Johnson stated.
The marine researchers on the cruise discovered excessive counts of the naturally-occurring algae that causes pink tide offshore Punta Gorda, Boca Grande and southwest of Sanibel Island. It will probably be a number of weeks earlier than researchers can analyze water samples that have been collected to decide the menace to sea life off the Florida coast.
The pink tide outbreak is also threatening manatees off Sarasota and Charlotte counties that depend on seagrass for meals, in accordance to the Ocean Conservancy.
“Florida is at a crossroads, with a record number of manatees dying,” stated J.P. Brooker, director of Florida conservation for the Ocean Conservancy. “We must keep this issue at the forefront, so leaders statewide will invest in solutions to improve water quality-protecting natural habitats to save our beloved manatees.”
Through mid-October, there have been 719 manatee deaths recorded by Florida wildlife officers. There have been 982 manatee deaths final yr.
