Algae Blooms: Another Threat

Algae blooms are another threat to the Florida bass population. The algae helps produce oxygen depleting bacteria which can and has led to massive fish kills. These blooms often occur in the summer months where the water temperature is high and afternoon thunderstorms stir the lake bottom on which the algae feeds.

The primary cause for algae blooms is nutrient enriched water. The algae, which suspends in the water, uses these nutrients to grow and propagate. So where do these nutrients come from? They can come from natural decay of existing lake vegetation, however a major contributor to the nutrients is man made fertilizers. Both agricultural and residential runoff produced during rain showers often end up in the lakes. Many of these fertilizers then settle to the lake bottom until winds stir them up which causes them to suspend in the higher sunlit areas in the lakes water stratification. Then poof, the algae blooms occur.

So what is the state of Florida doing about this? There are several projects going on right now on Lake Okeechobee. Due to the draught, many areas of the lake are dry and the water management team has been dredging up the muck. See this article: http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/local_news/article/0,2545,TCP_16736_5575660,00.html

This project will not only remove some of the fertilizer contaminated muck, but by removal of this muck the lake bottom will be harder and promote good spawning. Unfortunately, according to the article only 1% of the muck will be removed.

The state has been working on dechannelizing the Kissimmee River canal. What this would do is to revert back from the man made canal to the original Kissimmee River flow. This would let mother nature resume it's natural filtration of the water from the upper lakes into Lake Okeechobee.

What can we do? We need to minimize our use of fertilizer and use it in a way to prevent runoff into our river/lake systems. If we don't start soon, say goodbye to our fishery and hello to pea green lake water.

Sincerely,

The Largemouth Herald
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