Red Tide in 2006?

Written on September 1, 2006:

I've grown up in the Tampa Bay area and have always enjoyed it's great natural environment. We've had red tide from time to time over the 20 some years but the regularity and longevity of the red tide we've experienced over the past several years is out of hand. I'm puzzled as to why everyone's scratching their heads of not knowing why it's happening. It's clearly due to excessive amounts of toxicitiy in the water. Any college student in a marine biology course can tell you that. As a matter of fact about seven months ago while fishing with two friends out around seven miles from the mouth of Tampa Bay we witnessed a large ship spew it's lime green contents into the gulf for over an hour. What was the liquid? More than likely used water from the near by Phosphate mines/ports. Now this was one time we personally saw a ship spew it's lethal contents. I'm curious as to how much of this goes on on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. Seven miles out is international waters where it's ok to do and discard of what ever. Let's take the blinders off and see what's really happening. If it's cheaper for the big businesses to pay a small fine rather than dispose of their toxic waste properly then something is seriously wrong here. Florida being such a natural State mainly making it's economical prosperity from tourism you'd think the officials would care enough to handle the situation instead of shrug it off with a two year old childs response of, "We don't know why it's happening". There must be money exchanging hands on a high level if we're dealing with this in 2006.

- Arsen Brzostek