December 6, 2019 Sea Grant Notes

 

2019 HEALTHY BAY REPORT CARD IS OUT

https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/2019/11/14/2019-healthy-bay-report-card/.

 

This Week

No programs this month – HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

 

Current Articles

No current articles

 

Water Quality

Health Advisories

• AS WE MOVE INTO NOVEMBER FDOH ONLY MONITORS SANDERS BEACH AND BAYOU TEXAR
• Sanders Beach – GOOD
• Bayou Texar – GOOD
• 2019 data at end of these notes

Rainfall

• Rainfall collected weekly from East Hill (UF IFAS)
• Jan (2.1”) Feb (1.5”) Mar (0.7”) – winter = 4.3”
• Apr (6.3”) May (1.0”) June (7.4”) – spring = 14.7”
• Jul (5.0’*) Aug (8.0”) Sep (0.0”) – summer = 13.0”*
• Oct (6.2”) Nov (1.6”) Dec (0.0”)
• * Sea Grant was not available to monitor rain gauge in July – gauge indicated 5” during the month in East Hill

Red Tide

• Last report was posted Dec 4 (FWC)
• Panhandle – Red tide was not detected
• SW Florida – detected in Manatee, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties; FISH KILLS in Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties; RESPIRATORY ISSUES in Sarasota, Lee, and Collier counties.
• East Coast of FL – not detected.

Fish Kills

• No fish kills reported for Dec
• No Fish Kills reported in November – abnormal lionfish reported offshore of Navarre Beach
• 12 fish kills reported in October
• 2 fish kills reported in August.
• 3 fish kills reported in September
• No other reports this year.
• Report fish kills to FWC at – https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/health/fish-kills-hotline/.

Citizen Science Water Quality Data Report is out https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/2019/11/14/2019-healthy-bay-report-card/.

 

 

Habitat Restoration

• OCEAN HOUR Clean Ups Dec 7
• – Naval Live Oaks – meet at the Visitors Center on 1801 Hwy 98
• – Bob Sikes Bridge – meet at the Grand Marlin on Pensacola Beahc

Clean Ups begin at 9:00 and supplies are provided

• Living Shorelines

The best time to have a living shoreline planted is the fall and winter. Contact me if interested in learning more.

• Seagrass Monitoring Report is out https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/2019/11/14/2019-healthy-bay-report-card/.

Wildlife & Fisheries

 

• Horseshoe Crab Watch
• – October begins the fall survey season for nesting horseshoe crabs. They nest along shore during the high tides of the full and new moons. Best days and times to search: Contact me if you find one.
• – Dec 13, 14, 24, 25, 26
• Diamondback terrapin survey report https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/2019/11/14/2019-healthy-bay-report-card/.
• The Great Scallop Search results https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/2019/11/14/2019-healthy-bay-report-card/.

 

Invasive Species

 

• Beach Vitex
• – For 2019 we have identified 68 sites from Pensacola Beach, Gulf Breeze, Perdido Key, and Perdido Bay.
• – 81% have either been removed or are under treatment at this time.
• – 2020 we will continue to survey and have removal workdays. If you think you may have this plant on your property, please contact us.
• Invasive Lionfish
• – 4 Lionfish were found near the Ft. Pickens fishing pier while they were conducting an underwater clean-up there. We continue to survey for lionfish in the Ft. Pickens area. If anyone finds lionfish inside Pensacola Bay, please report location to us.
• Regal Damselfish – Is an invasive species that FWC and UF are watching for. Reports of this species on local reefs have been occurring (along with video). These are difficult to capture and remove. Hand nets are probably best bet at this time. Please let us know if you see any of these while diving.

 

Seafood

• Local Seafood in Peak Season for December
• – Cultured clams
• – Flounder
• – Mullet
• – Oysters
• – White shrimp
• – Snapper (check annual regulations)
• – Spiny lobster
• – Stone crab
• – Swordfish
• Seafood Safety Guidelines – Escambia County Division of Marine Resources – https://www.myescambia.com/our-services/natural-resources-management/marine-resources/seafood-safety.

Environmental Literacy

 

• No programs planned for December
• 2020 Science Hour line up coming soon

 

Upcoming Programs

• We have no more programs scheduled for 2019. We will post the 2020 Science Hour line up next week.
• 2020 Programs planned include: Septic & Sewers, Citizen Science monitoring trainings, Battling seagrass prop scars, Invasive species presentations – workshops – and removal workdays, HACCP workshops and ISTs for members of the seafood industry, Seafood @ Your Fingertips, Florida Master Naturalist, Panhandle Outdoors LIVE, and Science Hour. More info on these in the new year.

 

HEALTH ADVISORY DATA

Enterococcus bacteria count rubric for health advisories (Florida Department of Health)

 

GOOD 0-35 colonies/100ml of sample

MODERATE 36-70 colonies/100ml

POOR 71> colonies/100ml

 

Data provided by the Florida Department of Health’s Healthy Beaches Program

Month	Water Body	Good	Moderate	Poor	Health Advisory Issued
Jan	10				3
	Bayou Texar	3	1	1	1
	Sanders Beach	1	2	2	2
Feb	9				4
	Bayou Texar	1	1	2	2
	Sanders Beach	1	2	3	2
Mar	24				4
	Bayou Texar	2		2	2
	Sanders Beach	3		1
	Bayou Chico			2	2
	Bayou Grande		2
	Big Lagoon SP	2
	Casino Beach	2
	Park East	2
	Park West	2
	Perdido Key SP	1	1
	Quietwater	1		1
Apr	35				6
	Bayou Texar	2		3	3
	Sanders Beach	3	1	1	1
	Bayou Chico	1	1	1	1
	Bayou Grande	2		1	1
	Big Lagoon SP	3
	Casino Beach	3
	Park East	3
	Park West	2
	Perdido Key SP	2
	Quietwater	3		1
	Opal Beach	1
	Ft. Pickens	1
May	26				4
	Bayou Texar	2		2	2
	Sanders Beach	3	1
	Bayou Chico	1		1	1
	Bayou Grande	1		1	1
	Big Lagoon SP	2
	Casino Beach	2
	Park East	2
	Park West	2
	Perdido Key SP	2
	Quietwater	1	1
	Opal Beach	1
	Ft. Pickens	1
Jun	28				0
	Bayou Texar	3	1
	Sanders Beach	3	1
	Bayou Chico	1	1
	Bayou Grande	2
	Big Lagoon SP	2
	Casino Beach	2
	Park East	2
	Park West	2
	Perdido Key SP	2
	Quietwater	2
	Opal Beach	2
	Ft. Pickens	2
Jul	44				4
	Bayou Texar	3		2	2
	Sanders Beach	3	1
	Bayou Chico	2		1	1
	Bayou Grande	3
	Big Lagoon SP	2	1
	Casino Beach	3
	Park East	3
	Park West	3		2	1
	Perdido Key SP	3
	Quietwater	3
	Opal Beach	3		1
	Ft. Pickens	1	1
	Johnsons Beach	3
Aug	57				7
	Bayou Texar	1		3	3
	Sanders Beach	4		3
	Bayou Chico	1		3	3
	Bayou Grande		3	1	1
	Big Lagoon SP	3		1
	Casino Beach	4		1
	Park East	4
	Park West	4
	Perdido Key SP	4
	Quietwater	3		2
	Opal Beach	4
	Ft. Pickens	3	1
	Johnsons Beach	2	2
Sep	46				4
	Bayou Texar	4
	Sanders Beach	3	1
	Bayou Chico			4	3
	Bayou Grande	1	2	1	1
	Big Lagoon SP	2	2
	Casino Beach	3		1
	Park East	4
	Park West	3		1
	Perdido Key SP	4
	Quietwater	4
	Opal Beach	2
	Ft. Pickens	1		1
	Johnsons Beach	1
Oct	52				6
	Bayou Texar	5
	Sanders Beach	4		1
	Bayou Chico	2		3	3
	Bayou Grande	1	1	3	3
	Big Lagoon SP	5
	Casino Beach	5
	Park East	5
	Park West	5
	Perdido Key SP	5
	Quietwater	5	2
Nov	16				0
	Bayou Texar	7	1
	Sanders Beach	7		1
Dec
	Bayou Texar	1
	Sanders Beach	1
TOTAL	299	214	33	55	38
% OF SAMPLES					.13

 

Health Advisory Frequency

Body of Water	# of samples taken	# of advisories issued	% frequency of advisories
Bayou Texar	49	15	.31
Sanders Beach	55	5	.09
Bayou Chico	25	14	.56
Bayou Grande	25	7	.28
Park West	27	1	.04
Casino Beach	26	1	.04

Fish Kill Data provided by FWC

Month	# of Fish Kills reported	# of Dead Fish reported	Cause
Jan	0	0
Feb	0	0
Mar	0	0
Apr	0	0
May	0	0
June	0	0
July –	Johns Beach report – # unknown	Unknown	May have been discolored water
Aug	2	Unknown	Dead catfish in lower Perdido Bay Multiple species from Emerald Beach Park in Navarre
Sep	3	Unknown	Unknown Tarpon Perdido Key Beach Mullet.Blue Crab. Sea Turtle @ Herron Bayou Pond @ Tiger Point golf course
Oct	12	Unknown	11 reports of menhaden in Bayou Chico 1 report from Ramsey Beach on Perdido Bay
Nov	0	0
Dec	0	0