Two dolphins retrieved from along Sanibel
In recent weeks, the city of Sanibel observed smaller sea life washing ashore dead – and the bodies of two dolphins were collected – as red tide levels spiked along the Southwest Florida coastline.
At its meeting on Dec. 4, the Sanibel City Council received a water quality update from Natural Resources Director James Evans. He reported that red tide levels were measured from Escambia to Franklin counties in the northwest and Pinellas to Collier in the southwest, as well as on island.
“We have been seeing small numbers of dead fish and crabs,” Evans said of recent weeks.
Strong odors coming from the area of Santiva were also reported for a few days.
He noted that red tide remained present along the east coast too, from Brevard to Dade.
On Nov. 27, a dead dolphin was retrieved near the Shalimar Resort, at 2823 West Gulf Drive. In addition, a second dolphin was collected on Nov. 13 adjacent to the Chateaux Sur Mer community.
“Both of the dolphins picked up on Sanibel were highly decomposed,” Evans said.
When he spoke with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Nov. 27, the agency reported that they had responded to 26 dead dolphins over the previous two days.
“We have see a large number of dead dolphins in Lee and Collier counties,” Evans told the council.
He explained that red tide is the likely cause of death, due to the bioaccumulation of brevetoxins through different trophic levels, rather than acute effects associated with a specific bloom.
“Since the red tide event has been going on for more than a year, the dolphins can be impacted by longer-term chronic effects associated with bioaccumulation of the toxins and impacts to fish stocks or other environmental stressors,” Evans said.
He added that FWC is looking into the specific contributing factors.
“It’s a mortality event they can’t explain right now,” Evans told the council.
John Bralove, with the Captiva Erosion Prevention District, reported no recent dead sea life on the northern island. There were some red tide symptoms, such as running noses and slight irritation.
“Our only notice was the early part of last week,” he said last week.
Bralove noted that the CEPD reports daily to Mote Marine from Monday through Friday.
“We are one of Mote Marine’s monitoring stations,” he said. “We report on anything on the beach, as well as (red tide) symptoms.”
Also at the council meeting, Evans reported that the water level in Lake Okeechobee continues to drop. As of Dec. 4, the water level was about 3 feet lower than it was during the same time last year.
“The (Army) Corps are releasing slightly higher flows in reaction to the El Nino,” he said.
In the dry season, about 650 cubic feet per second is typically released.
“We’re getting 1,000 (cfs) to get that lake lower in anticipation,” Evans said.
He also noted that salinities were in the good range in the upper and lower estuaries.