By IVONA LERMAN Environment Writer
Last updated: Feb 23,
"It's just a mess," he
said of the disease, which affects 50 to 70 percent of turtles in the lagoon.
"Green turtles are sleek and elegant animals. To see them with bleeding
tumors is just heart-rending."
Ehrhart was one of several
scientists who spoke to an audience of environmentalists, policymakers and
fishers Saturday, sharing stories and images of troubling events they've been
observing in one of nation's most diverse estuaries. Tumors in clams. Dolphins
with skin disorders. Massive fish deaths. Blooms of toxic algae. Appearance of
invasive jellyfish. Although a lot has been done to improve the lagoon's water
quality in the last decade, scientists and environmentalists worry these may be
signs of continuing decrease in the lagoon's health. And Saturday's conference,
organized by the Marine Resources Council and Nature Conservancy, was an
opportunity to call for action.
"It's important to start
looking at all these things together," said Jan Landsberg, a research
scientist with the Florida Marine Research Institute. "We have to have a
big picture."
For years, scientists from various
agencies have been investigating what appeared to be unrelated incidents of
animal diseases and deaths in the lagoon. In most cases, they've been working
on limited budgets and have been unable to come up with definite answers. But
with reports of disease and deaths among lagoon animals on the rise, both
environmentalists and scientists are now calling for a creation of a scientific
task force to investigate critical lagoon issues.
"We need to ask the
Legislature to order creation and funding for this task force," said
Nathaniel Reed, a prominent environmentalist and former assistant secretary of
the U.S. Department of Interior for fish, wildlife and parks. "It's time
for one million residents along the lagoon to say: 'I want assistance for the
lagoon.' "
In a six-hour conference,
scientists and policymakers also discussed a number of other lagoon issues,
such as the lagoon's conservation plan, which was created in 1996. With more
than 400 people moving to the lagoon area every day, environmentalists said
it's time to re-evaluate the plan and come up with new goals and priorities for
lagoon restoration. Environmentalists also called for creation of a coalition,
consisting of lagoon area residents and stakeholders, which would try to come
up with funding necessary for future research and restoration projects.
"The stage is set for a lot
of things to happen," said Ken Wiley, Indian River Lagoon program
coordinator for Nature Conservancy. Although it's not clear who will take the
initiative on the proposals, Wiley said he hopes the conference created enough
enthusiasm to generate momentum for needed actions.