Copyright 1998 Stuart News Company
The Stuart News/Port St. Lucie News (Stuart,FL)
April 21, 1998, Tuesday
SECTION: A Section; Pg. A2
LENGTH: 804 words
HEADLINE: FOLEY GOES ON CRUISE TO INSPECT RIVER WATER
BYLINE: Amy Ellerson of the News staff
BODY:
Troubled Waters
Rep. Mark Foley said Martin County is not doing enough to solve
the problem of the fish kills.
STUART - U.S. Rep. Mark Foley emerged from a 15-minute boat
ride Monday morning shaking his head at the unusually dark water
in the St. Lucie River.
It was the kind of response local fishermen hoped for.
"Certainly this is the worst I've seen the water,"
said Foley, a West Palm Beach Republican who represents much of
the Treasure Coast. "I've lived in Florida 40 years, and
this is silty, ugly water. It's amazing how dark it is."
Responding to concerns about recent fish kills in the St. Lucie
River and Indian River Lagoon, Foley's staff organized a boat
trip from Northside Marina in Stuart to the Roosevelt Bridge.
On board were Martin County Commission Chairwoman Donna Melzer
and two scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
in Washington.
Since early March, more than 200 fish with lesions and sores
have been reported from northern Palm Beach County to New Smyrna
Beach.
NOAA scientists do not know what is causing the fish kills
but say they are closer to an answer.
"We hope to identify the conditions that lend themselves
to this kind of event. We're not at the same point where we can
predict tornadoes or hurricanes, but that's our long-term objective,"
said Nancy Foster, director of the NOAA's National Ocean Service.
"It's a local problem, but it has become a national problem.
Ten years ago, these things were localized and short-term,"
Foster said. "Now we're seeing almost every state in this
country vulnerable to this."
The NOAA, which is investigating similar fish epidemics in
North Carolina, Delaware and Maryland, is working with the state
Marine Research Institute in St. Petersburg to test samples of
sick fish. A temporary lab was stationed Monday afternoon at Snook
Nook in Jensen Beach to collect samples of sick fish and test
them for microorganisms such as Cryptoperidiniopsis.
Marine Institute researchers plan to net fish today and Wednesday
in local waters to collect more samples. Also, the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration plans to examine the fish to determine whether
they could make people ill, and a scientist in Charleston, S.C.,
will test for herbicides in the water.
"We'll figure it out," said Bud Cross, lab director
with the National Marine Fisheries Association. "Once we
know what causes it, then we can work on the conditions that led
to it."
The NOAA is establishing a clearinghouse of information for
similar outbreaks in other parts of the country and is creating
plans for a rapid response team.
At a news conference early in the day, Foley blamed Martin
County commissioners for not doing enough to find a solution.
He criticized commissioners for dismissing a plan to purchase
Allapattah Ranch, a large tract of land in western Martin County,
to store excess fresh water from Lake Okeechobee.
"I've tried to work with our County Commission here. I
hope they will reconsider," Foley said. "If we could
get county, state and federal governments together on this, we
could come up with a solution in 18 months."
Foley and Melzer stood at opposite ends of a 33-foot boat as
they toured the St. Lucie River.
Melzer skipped a meeting of the Metropolitan Planning Organization
to take the boat ride. She commended Foley for inviting national
scientists to look at the river but gave no indication she would
reconsider using the Allapattah Ranch for retention ponds. She
has called the plan too costly.
"I think it's clear we have a problem, and it's exciting
that we're getting some attention," Melzer said. "The
river looked very, very brown, and there was a tremendous amount
of sediments for this time of year. It's not what our river should
look like."
Melzer acknowledged the County Commission has been slow to
respond to the fish kills.
"In the beginning, I thought the problem was there was
too much fresh water and there was nothing we could do about it,"
Melzer said. "I've since gotten a lot of information."
Meanwhile, officials with the state Department of Environmental
Protection do not think the recent fish kills is related to reports
Sunday of more than 100 dead fish in the North Fork of the St.
Lucie River.
The fish, without any lesions or sores, were found washed ashore
north of Midway Road in White City, said Kyle Boudreaux, an environmental
specialist with the DEP's Bureau of Emergency Response in Fort
Lauderdale.
"All indications so far would not lead us to link the
two," Boudreaux said. "There is the possibility of a
release of some sort from a nearby grove, but that has not been
confirmed."
Boudreaux expected to send samples of the dead fish to a local
lab this morning. He said the results would not be available until
next week.
GRAPHIC: 2 (color) photos by Ian Solender: U.S. Rep. Mark Foley,
a West Palm Beach Republican, examines a dead fish with lesions
Monday kept by Henry Caimatto, owner of the Snook Nook bait and
tackle shop in Jensen Beach. At left, a sign in the bait shop's
parking lot expresses frustration with the current crisis of dead
fish in area waters.
LOAD-DATE: April 21, 1998