By IVONA LERMAN Environment Writer Last updated: Feb 23, 12:35 AM

Daytona Beach News Journal

MELBOURNE -- In two decades, Llewellyn Ehrhart has seen hundreds of green turtles in the Indian River Lagoon turn up with tennis-ball-sized growths on their bodies. As he projected images of small turtles covered with bleeding tumors to about 200 participants of a conference on Indian River Lagoon environmental issues Saturday, Ehrhart said the sight upsets him every time.

"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.

ivona.lerman@news-jrnl.com