Algae poses threat, experts say

By Libby Wells, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Monday, April 24, 2003

Palm Beach Post

FORT PIERCE -- Red tide invaded the Treasure Coast last winter. Now, it's a "green tide" of exotic seaweed that has marine scientists and environmentalists worried.

Caulerpa brachypus, a species of enemy algae, blankets offshore reefs in Palm Beach County like an overgrown lawn. Patches of the invasive bloom, which is native to the Pacific Ocean, have been spotted by fishermen and divers in the Indian River Lagoon and St. Lucie River.

"I feel a little bit guilty because this problem has existed for years for our neighbors to the south," Kevin Stinnette, executive director of Indian Riverkeeper, told a roomful of people who met Wednesday night at the Fort Pierce branch of the St. Lucie County Library to talk about the problem. "And now it's here and we're kinda late."

Brachypus doesn't appear to have a firm foothold in local waters, but experts agreed that it will become a serious threat to native marine life if it's ignored.

"There's a fire raging out on the reefs of South Florida and now the flames are licking into the south end of the Indian River," warned Brian Lapointe, a scientist from Harbor Branch Oceanographic Society who's studying invasive caulerpa species with the aid of a federal grant.

Lapointe gave an hourlong primer on brachypus and other caulerpa species that included startling video footage taken off the Palm Beach County coast of sites smothered with green algae where beautiful coral once thrived. Lapointe believes the algae's rapid growth is fed by nutrient-laden sewage dumped into the sea from outfall pipes or pumped underground.

"Sewage kills coral reefs, but there's still some denial about that in South Florida," he said.

Stinnette, who moderated the meeting, said the long-term solution was getting government and politicians interested and finding money to study the problem.

Jeff Beal, of the Jensen Beach office of the Department of Environmental Protection, said agencies could take advantage of sea-grass monitoring programs. The DEP studies sea grass twice a year.

"We should plug into our existing programs," he said.

Troy Rice, of the St. John's River Water Management District, said the agency would be doing some aerial photography of the St. Lucie Inlet, which might help spot problem areas.

Stinnette suggested one short-term way to attack the algae is simply dive down and get it.

"There are places where people do hand removal," he said.

- libby_wells@pbpost.com