EDITORIAL: Keep fighting toxic red tide

Aug. 18--If history repeats itself, the red tide plaguing a large swath of our inshore Gulf coast will eventually go away. The dead fish and other marine life that succumbed to the harmful algae will be removed from beaches and basins. The respiratory irritation experienced by humans will subside.

And legions of Floridians will forget the anger and dismay they now feel while viewing photographs and watching video of the impacts of red tide.

It happened after the 2005-06 red tide, one of the worst in Florida's recorded history, that resulted in a "dead zone" the size of Rhode Island on the Gulf bottom and caused massive losses of fish and marine mammals.

It happened after a two-year episode, from 1994 to 1996, and following the 1953-54 red tide that was, at the time, the longest on record.

As the blooms faded, so did the negative environmental and economic impacts that generated public outcry.

That's not to say steps aimed at reducing the intensification of red tide, a naturally occurring phenomenon, haven't been taken for the past three decades. They have occurred, and outbreaks have sometimes provided the impetus for incremental action.

But Florida continues to lack a science-based, fully funded plan for controlling pollution -- from human-made nutrients -- that, according to the scientific consensus, can fuel the inshore growth of microscopic red tide organisms that originally develop 10 to 40 miles offshore.

One problem is that, in general, when red tide is out of sight (and out of smelling distance), it is out of the public's mind and, thus, not a political priority.

Another challenge is the complexity of the matter. There are different species of red tide algae; the bloom currently affecting the west coast is known as K. brevis, or Florida red tide. The vastness of the Gulf, the length of Florida's coastline and the diversity of conditions on the mainland make it difficult to reach sweeping conclusions about causes and effects.

According to Sarasota-based Mote Marine Laboratory: "In contrast to the many red tide species that are fueled by nutrient pollution associated with urban or agricultural runoff, there is no direct link between nutrient pollution and the frequency or severity of red tides caused by K. brevis."

Not everyone in the scientific community agrees with the assertion that there is "no direct link." That said, Mote communications embrace the scientific consensus with this conclusion: "However, once red tides are transported inshore, they are capable of using man-made nutrients for their growth."

Pictures of bright-green, algae-laden water released from Lake Okeechobee toward the west and east coasts have fueled public outrage and reinforced the widely held belief that red tide outbreaks are being lengthened and intensified by pollution from development, septic tanks and agriculture north of Lake Okeechobee.

Regardless of red tide, this pollution should be dramatically reduced and water management practices dramatically overhauled. Doing so will take money and commitment.

Could outrage over red tide force Floridians and their leaders to take pollution seriously? Perhaps but, as history has shown, only if it is sustained -- after the red tide goes away.

This editorial originally appeared in our sister publication, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

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