A Different Kind of Condo

Sunlight glints off the open waters of Tampa Bay in a million sparkling points, and I shade my eyes to see what my companion is pointing at. "I've got scallops," Sarah says proudly,

Professor Norm Blake of the University of South Florida lowers a wire and PVC scallop "condominium" alongside a dock in Tampa Bay. The university is working with the Tampa Bay National Estuary Program to reintroduce scallops to Tampa Bay.

pointing into the water off the dock behind her beautiful bayfront home. I'm astonished. There haven't been scallops in the bay for almost 30 years. Scallops need clear water and healthy seagrass beds, two requirements the bay can again fulfill. Decades of pollution from urban

Reducing Runoff
One of the most significant sources of pollution in estuaries and other coastal areas is also the hardest to control. Runoff from roads, parking lots, yards and neighborhoods after a rainfall carries a variety of pollutants —oil and gasoline, pesticides, fertilizers—that endanger fish and other wildlife in our bays and waterways. In the last five to 10 years, extensive effort has been devoted at the local level to improving stormwater management.

What you can do:

Reduce fertilizer and pesticide use. Fertilize only when needed. Spot treat for pests.
If your house has rain gutters, make sure the downspouts are not aimed toward paved surfaces.
Collect roof water into cisterns or rain barrels and use it for watering plants.
Landscape your yard so that water doesn't rush across it and into the street or waterway.
When creating walkways and paths in the yard, use porous materials such as melaleuca mulch and shell.
Compost kitchen and yard waste to make natural, organic fertilizer.
Don't bag lawn clippings. Instead, leave them in place to act as natural fertilizer.
Support local efforts to create stormwater facilities.

development and agriculture meant the loss of more than 40 percent of the bay's seagrasses by 1950, and another 40 percent by 1990. Scallops disappeared long ago. But things have been turning around for Tampa Bay recently, thanks to efforts by local governments to improve wastewater and stormwater management and a variety of cleanup programs. The federal National Estuary Program is involved, as are a number of state and regional agencies. Two key players are the Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) program administered by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Agency for Bay Management administered by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. I look where Sarah is pointing. There's a mesh cage hanging off the end of her dock. A "scallop condominium," she calls it, placed there with her approval by the Tampa Bay National Estuary Program and the University of South Florida's Marine Science Department. The two agencies are conducting an experimental program that is trying to reintroduce scallops to Tampa Bay. The "condominiums" are really two-foot square cages, containing about 300 scallops. When Sarah got the scallops, they were about the size of a quarter, but they're growing quickly, a clear signal that water quality is improving. In the fall they'll spawn, throwing their "spats," or baby scallops, into the currents of the bay. It's hoped the babies will attach themselves to the seagrasses, and start a new colony of scallops. The best part, Sarah says, is once they've spawned, scallops only live a couple more months, so along about November or December she'll be entitled to

Something’s Fishy Here
Florida has some of the most varied fishing in the world, and it's extremely easy to get to. Most of the time, you don't even need a boat. You can walk on the beach in the Keys and catch pompano or cast a line for tarpon off a Tampa bridge. Sharks, bluefish, mackerel and ladyfish are caught off the state's beaches, bridges and piers. With more than 100 species of fish to choose from, the opportunities for Florida saltwater anglers are seemingly endless. But sometimes the number of anglers can seem endless, too. Millions of people fish Florida's coastal waters each year. The stability of Florida's coastal environment depends on a delicate balance between people and habitat, and anglers' concern for the fish they're enjoying can be a powerful force in protecting the state's coastal resources.

What you can do:

Recycle your monofilament fishing line. Many tackle stores collect fishing line for recycling.
Whatever you do, don't throw line into the water. It's hazardous to marine life of all kinds.
There's a federal effort to eliminate lead sinkers, but the alternatives are expensive. If you must use lead sinkers, tie your knots tightly and retrieve them whenever you can.
Please don't throw litter in the water. It's not only ugly, but could be dangerous to fish and other marine life.
Purchase a saltwater fishing license.
Educate yourself about Florida's fishing regulations.
Support habitat Protection efforts.

lots of scallop dinners. Yum. Tampa Bay is Florida's largest open water estuary, spanning almost 400 square miles. Formed where the freshwater of the land meets the saltwater of the sea, estuaries are some of the most productive ecosystems in Florida. Like coastal marshes and mangroves, estuaries are vital spawning, nursery and feeding grounds for many forms of marine life. As many as 90 percent of the state's most popular fish and shellfish spend at least part of their lives in the low- salt shallow water of an estuary. Young fish and shellfish find shelter from predators here. Oysters, crabs and shrimp depend on the constant exchange of fresh and salt waters. The marshes and mangroves surrounding many Florida estuaries provide homes for millions of birds. Estuaries play a vital role in Florida's economy. Both commercial and recreational fishing - which depend on the animals nurtured for at least part of their lives in estuaries - are big business in Florida. Most of the state's 14 deepwater and numerous fishing ports are located at the mouths of estuaries. Tourists and new residents seek out bays and inlets for recreation, beauty and quality of life. Estuaries are vitally important to Florida, but many are in dan-ger. Pollution, runoff, overdevelopment and dredging have changed the faces of some of the state's most productive estuaries. In one study of 10 Florida estuaries, scientists found that between the 1940s and 1980s, 50 percent of the salt marshes had been lost, as well as nearly 60 percent of the seagrasses and up to 85 percent of the mangroves.

Manatee
The placid, slow-moving manatee spends most of its time in the shallow waters of Florida's bays and estuaries, feeding on seagrasses and other aquatic plants. This gentle creature has been the subject of intense protection efforts by federal, state, and local agencies, private groups, and the boating industry. While protecting individual manatees is important, it won't be enough to ensure their survival. We must preserve their habitat. The good news is, preserving the rivers, estuaries, mangrove forests and seagrass beds that are home to the state's manatees will also protect habitat needed by many other species of Florida wildlife.

What you can do:

Support acquisition and protection of coastal areas where manatees live.
Look, but don't touch. Don't feed manatees. If manatees get used to being around people, they may lose their natural fear of boats, making injury more likely.
Slow down! Abide by the boat speed zone signs posted in manatee areas.
Stay at least 50 feet away from a manatee if you're in a power boat.

Population Pressures
When Juan Ponce de Leon "discovered" Florida in 1513, the area was already settled by nearly 100,000 native Americans. The vast majority lived along the coastline. Today, most of the state's residents still congregate along the coast. Our spiraling population - 13 million and growing - has taken its toll on fragile resources. Natural landscapes - coastal marshes, mangroves, estuarine seagrass beds and marine turtle nesting grounds - dwindle.

In 1936, only 717,000 acres in Florida were devoted to urban uses. By 1987, more than 4.5 million acres were urban.
Wetlands of all types declined by 28 percent between 1937 and 1987 (more than 3.2 million acres lost.)
Salt and fresh water marshes and wet prairies declined even more - by 55 percent during the same period (from 6.9 million acres to 3 million.)
Less than 35 percent of Florida's native beach and dune vegetation remains undisturbed.

While the state's growth rate has slowed in the past decade, its population is still going up. Estimates place Florida's population at more than 14 million people by the year 2000. That kind of growth demands that we think about the needs of both people and coastal ecosystems.

Underwater Meadows
From Apalachee Bay south to the Keys, the quiet bottoms of Florida's estuaries are covered by hundreds of thousands of acres of seagrass, the most extensive seagrass beds in the country and probably the world. The beds act as giant underwater meadows. They provide food for sea turtles and manatees and protected nurseries for the young of many types of fish and other marine animals. Juvenile sea bass and lizardfish, grouper and snappers live here. Gamefish hover over the beds, snapping up pinfish and pigfish. Seagrasses are one of the few flowering plants that grow entirely underwater. Their leaves trap sediments, creating an environment rich in nutrients, and the roots help stabilize the bottom in much the same way that land grasses help prevent soil erosion. The seagrasses found in Florida waters need clear water and relatively high salinity. They are easily damaged by boat propellers and anchors, and slow to grow back. But the biggest danger to seagrasses is reduced water quality. Stormwater runoff, sewage and nutrients from septic tanks cause algae to grow, blocking out the sunlight and killing what lies below. In many areas, seagrasses are disappearing at an alarming rate.

What you can do:

If you're boating, steer clear of seagrass beds. Accidental groundings, props and turbidity from propellers can cause damage that will take years to repair.
Minimize stormwater runoff from your property
Provide regular maintenance to make sure your septic system is working properly.