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Chad
Posts: 132 Deckhand
no scallop shells in the river (Homosassa)
Chad
Posts: 132 Deckhand
Hey guys been coming over and scalloping for years in Homosassa. Annual trip this past weekend and this was the first time we were asked not to throw shells back in the canal and I saw some official gov't signs as well. The place we rented asked not to put them in the trash either - **** - where then? I mean I know there's alot of shells, but there's also alot of water. I cant possibly imagine they are worried about raising the canal floor levels.... What's the deal/concern - another liberal movement to tell us more things we cant do? Legitimate?
PS - fantastic conditions this past weekend. We limited both days in short order.
PS - fantastic conditions this past weekend. We limited both days in short order.
Replies
Either clean the scallops offshore (which lets you keep more meat) or take the shells and guts back offshore when you're done cleaning them on the property.
There has been a huge increase in the number of people using the river and the headwater springs since the economy has recovered. The amount of junk that is being thrown into the river is pretty disgusting. Everybody needs to pitch in do their best to keep the river clean or there will be far more restrictive regulations in the future.
We used to do that also. They make nice beds and last a long time.
My posts are my opinion only.
Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for. Will Rogers
I could see the addition of tons of shells in the river becoming a problem, especially around docks and such, they are filling in the water around the dock at the sunset condo in the Hatch. Not to mention oysters love to grow on them too.
Those condos are rented a lot so the renters don't care.
My posts are my opinion only.
Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for. Will Rogers
Doc - thank you very kindly. Unfortunately, the home we rented only stated not to put in the river or the trash and I figured if they didn't want them in the river, they would not want piles of them taken back out in the gulf either - seems the same problems you mention for the river would persist for the gulf. In the 20 years I have been coming over, this was the first I have seen or heard of this. Happy to oblige from now on. Sorry to hear all the pressure is declining the water quality. We took the kids up to the springs to cool off and I noticed the spring water was not very clean, but wasn't sure if it was just recent rain related. Declining water quality is sadly a major theme right now across our entire state.
For they always bring me tears
I can't forgive the way they rob me
Of my childhood souvenirs"... John Prine
After they told me to.
My posts are my opinion only.
Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for. Will Rogers
Dumping the guts and shells in the Gulf does no harm to the environment. Almost all of the scallops die off after they spawn anyway. The shells would be out there even if nobody took any.
When you clean scallops out there the pinfish and remoras clean everything up about as fast as you can throw the stuff overboard. The shells eventually either dissolve in seawater or get ground up into hard sediment by wave action.
But I was more asking to find out what is behind this no shells in the river thing that is new (atleast as far as the posted signs). I have a friend that has a house on the Chaz and he had no idea about it when I asked him. The guy I asked that was a resident across from the house we rented said he now bags them up and puts them in the garbage, but then added "but there's alot of zealots around here", haha.
Also, I appreciate Doc's input, but the reasons mentioned for not putting them in the river would seem to apply for reasons to not putting them in the gulf too. Not arguing the points made, just trying to understand. It just seems non-intuitive to me that putting carcasses back in the water (thats what I always do) they are taken from (connected too) would be a bad thing, but I get that the numbers of people targeting scallops for 3 straight months is pretty large and the shells dont get taken down the way a fish carcass does in the water. Taking the shells to the landfill could/would have it own issues too.
I would think for the county to post signs, there would have needed to be some study or something done that concluded it will cause issues over time, vs. just someone going "this might be an issue at some point, lets put some signs up". Any one have any info on this?
I did break out the trauma kit one day but thank God I didn't have to use it but that's another story.
Contender 27 Cuddy
When you clean scallops or fish in the river, you are bringing nutrients from the Gulf into a freshwater environment that is naturally nutrient poor. When fish grow and die in the Gulf, there is no net change in the nutrient level. The biological system out there has evolved to turn over those nutrients. Everything from scavaging fish to bacteria works efficiently to recycle the carbon, phosphates, and nitrates back into the food chain. Plus, there is plenty of aeration from wave activity to keep oxygen levels high.
The natural flow of freshwater from the springs contains relatively little nitrogen and phosphate although it is much higher now than in the past due to human activity. The rate of flow is also now greatly reduced. The river used to be gin clear flowing freshwater down to at least Riverhaven with a bottom that was covered by eelgrass. That's all gone now due to the inflow of nutrients from a number of different human sources ranging from the enrichment of the groundwater itself to septic tanks and urban runoff. Throwing additional nutrients into the system from the Gulf just makes things worse. And as mentioned, scallop shells accumulate on the bottom of the river and prevent growth of most plants except for mats of Lyngbya and cut feet up at the springs.
Since Proline Boats shut down and the Power Plant has cut way back, there are few jobs in this area other than those that depend on the health of the river and the surrounding natural environment. So the local folks are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of maintaining the health of the natural systems.
A local group called the Homosassa River Alliance has been doing a lot to promote the preservation and hopefully the recovery of the river.
In Steinhatchee you have to take your trash to the rolloff site, they do have recycle bins there but I don't see them used much, I just bag mine up and take it back to Tampa where I toss it into our recycle bin. Easy to do. Sadly people dump scallop shells everywhere and anywhere it seems.
My posts are my opinion only.
Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for. Will Rogers
Also the freshwater doesnt break break down the shells like saltwater can. So when you have thousands of people dumping hundreds of shells it only makes sense hat eventually it's going to be a problem.
Unfortunately I think the new normal for Floridians is not doing things that we have always taken for granted. We have twenty million people in this state. We all leave an impact.
While no means a tree hugger I have personally been trying to do more to lesson my impact. When I mow the grass I make sure I blow the clippings back into the yard. I have cut back on fertilizer and I won't be putting saint Augustine down at my new house.
The current issues with water in south Florida is a perfect example of this. We all need to change a little or this state we love is doomed. If that means not throwing shells in the river that's a small price to pay.
I just dump mine along the fence between my place at the Hatch and the meth heads next door.
I miss the old days and I go a long way back. But if we don't change the way we have been doing things, everything is going to get a lot worse fast.