Brown Tide/Algae

gatorhook

Well I guess its official, the nasty brown water is not just sediment from the winds stirring up. Say goodbye to the remainder of grass that was left. I'm gonna point at the new mega cargo container ballasts being dumped, and the wonderful dredge projects. Are the Locks still wide open? This ecosystem is screwed, and I am sure there will be a wave of geniuses that will claim a new inlet will fix it!

FT article here: http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/environment/2016/01/25/brown-tide-returns-indian-river-lagoon/79315290/

jadip

same up at Merritt Island... open the locks... let the river breath

AndyB

I'm not really familiar with the Brown Tide/Algae in the lagoon, but how will the fishing be affected? Thanks.

Goonfanatic

Does anyone know if this mess has made it up to Sykes Creek by 520 yet?

gatorhook

Brown tide isn't as bad as red tide in it's ability to suffocate victims that swim into a bloom. But it does shut down all sunlight that feeds the seagrass that houses billions of juvenile critters that supply the food chain. In my experiences, it slows the bite down significantly. Sight fishing is impossible unless you see a tails sticking up. Fish are mostly going to eat stinky dead bait if they are there, and catching live bait can be difficult.
When it does move out of this region and the water clears up, you will see what happens. Forget your old grass flats, they will now be dead sand flats. And just wait til all the dead matter floats on the shores, it's gonna smell great!

duckmanJR

All the grass is gone down here in Sebastian down to Vero...even the macro algae is gone...bottom looks like a moonscape.... Very sad.

I talked Saturday with Dr Peter Barille...they are doing studies ( isotope testing) to find out where the major polluters located....

HABU

There is no agriculture that I'm aware of near the mosquito lagoon. It has however been a very different body of water since the freeze of 2010-11.

bostonsox2904

I moved to this area in 2015, and was under the impression that the brown water was a rainfall/season issue, but it's really disheartening to read that article. I haven't explored Mosquito Lagoon much, but is the whole thing affected? Like up north in the no motor zones?

rehartline

Haulover to Oak Hill where we were yesterday was all brown water.

TD-Anglin

Wow, leave for a couple months and come back to see this! Very sad, going to be interesting taking people out on tours in this soup. Been scouting around a fair bit and as from what Ive seen its all throughout the Banana (haven't checked farther north than Kars) and Sykes. The Indian Ive only looked from 520 clear up to the far north end but all looked pretty choked up accept for some patches here and there. Just when there were some signs of improvement last yr, just hoping its not as bad as it seams!:cry

SpaceCoast Slayer

there's crystal clear water to be found out there.. but the majority of it is in terrible shape.. the no motor zone is absolutely awful right now.. saw a boat full of biologists up there at the NE end of NMZ sampling water and sediments.. Asked them what they thought it was and they said not sure yet but it's not good.. This time last year in the NMZ we were fishing crystal clear water you could see the bottom in 6-7 feet .. monsters all over the place.. those same areas right now are murky wastelands.. not good..

MRichardson

Beginning of the end.
This is FL. Pollution and mismanagement will not stop or get better.

gettinwet

I was out last Saturday - fished the creeks/backwaters/shoreline from just south of the Max Brewer on the eastern shore of the Indian River to past Catfish Creek. Spent a lot of the day driving/walking around observing. Brown water everywhere. Couldn't see my feet standing in a foot of water. No chance to site fish. Didn't see any fish actively feeding. Saw some mullet jumping and birds feeding on glass minnows so fished those areas but nada. All the grass along the shore is gone. This was a go to big trout/big red/occasional snook area this time last year. Since I don't have a boat, when my wade accessible spots dry up - there aren't a whole lot of alternatives - but maybe this will get me to try something new.

mchancey

Anyone know how cold the water has got to get to kill off this brown algae?

I'm no expert...

But they are running models to see how to fix it the recurring problem.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/275513792/Indian-River-Lagoon-Flushing-Model#scribd

Including use of weirs, pumping stations and opening the lock (apparently opening the lock increases current in port and build up of sand in the lock, disabling it.

What are they doing to the lock now? a couple cranes and construction going on - is it related to a fix?

Keep on Spoolin

MRichardson wrote: »

Beginning of the end.
This is FL. Pollution and mismanagement will not stop or get better.

I hate to admit it but I think you may be right, what a sad state of affairs.

rehartline

Just curious, before I go Bass fishing, how far north do you need to go to get better water? I would guess it's better around the inlets, but maybe not.

duckmanJR

MRichardson wrote: »

Beginning of the end.
This is FL. Pollution and mismanagement will not stop or get better.

Not the beginning.... Go back a ways and while everyone was high fiving themselves into a stupor with the net ban ...I was telling people that they just put a band aid on a gushing gunshot wound to the head....I was poo-poo'ed and "an alarmist"...

I would say i have the last laugh...but it is not funny.

duckmanJR

rehartline wrote: »

Just curious, before I go Bass fishing, how far north do you need to go to get better water? I would guess it's better around the inlets, but maybe not.

Clean water....with no seagrass...is not that great.

MRichardson

duckmanJR wrote: »

Not the beginning.... Go back a ways and while everyone was high fiving themselves into a stupor with the net ban ...I was telling people that they just put a band aid on a gushing gunshot wound to the head....I was poo-poo'ed and "an alarmist"...

I would say i have the last laugh...but it is not funny.

I'm coming to terms with the fact that I may retire elsewhere.
Very sad.

duckmanJR

MRichardson wrote: »

I'm coming to terms with the fact that I may retire elsewhere.
Very sad.

I am in a similar situation....may wind up moving away. I already am retired so I need to make a move soon.

gettinwet

duckmanJR wrote: »

Clean water....with no seagrass...is not that great.

Yep! A desert covered by water. Every single major grass bed that I've personally fished the past 10 years in the Northern Indian River is either gone or severely degraded particularly in the back waters/shallow flats - and just when I finally thought I knew where to fish. No grass = no breeding grounds/no food source = no fish. Even a couple of resident alligators have abandoned these areas where I've been seeing them for years. I'm mad but don't know what can be done - so also very frustrated - especially since my 8 year old son and 10 year old daughter are just starting to get good at/want to learn more about fishing. What do I tell them? That development and the money it brings is what really matters? Where do I take them? I hope all those that made their money and/or get to enjoy their coastal/spoil island vacation homes are happy while the rest of us are left to deal with the destruction of and/or restricted access to the natural places we love.

Bout Time

Was actually very close to getting a place on a canal around 528 so I could be on top of the water at a moments notice. Sacrifice the 40+ miles to work every day to make it happen - was excited at the thought. I think the better bet now will be to take advantage of a possible relo to the Tampa area. Pretty phenomenal inshore fishing that way with clean water and green grass. Pretty disappointed however, as over the years I have grown to love the Indian River estuary.