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Editorial: Independence Day
July 2nd, 2006

Editorial: Once Again...
June 25th, 2006

Editorial: Home Ownership
June 24th, 2006

Editorial: Mosquito Control in Cedar Key
May 11th, 2006

Editorial: Will Gas Prices Go Up?
April 30th, 2006

Editorial: Tree Ordinance Violations
April 26th, 2006

Editorial: Why Worry about Global Warming?
April 21st, 2006

Editorial: The Purpose of Government?
March 23rd, 2006

Editorial: Air Boat Regatta, Guests or Pests?
January 29th, 2006

Editorial: The East-West Management Plan
December 21st, 2005

Editorial: Water, Water, Water
December 13th, 2005

Editorial: Bad News for Print News, Good for Online
November 14th, 2005

Editorial: A Bad Tradition
November 10th, 2005

Editorial: For the Birds
October 17th, 2005

Editorial: If It Killed the River....
October 4th, 2005

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The East-West Management Plan

The East-West Management Plan

Editorial

The East-West Management Plan, contrary to what one might assume, is not a plan to bring peace to Iraq. The plan is a new way to protect the public from shellfish poisoning while avoiding unnecessary closure of shellfish harvest in areas where there is no danger.

Shellfish harvest can be closed because of excessive rainwater runoff, excessive bacteria in the water or harmful algae blooms. Harmful algae blooms include "red tide."

Red Tide is a population explosion of a toxic dynoflagellate alga, which is concentrated by shellfish and poisonous to humans. The population explosions result from nutrients that fertilize marine waters. The sources of the nutrients include runoff following hurricanes, coastal real estate developments and pulp mill waste dumped in the Gulf of Mexico. Offshore blooms blow into shellfish areas and cause closures.

The State of Florida, Division of Aquaculture has developed the East-West Management Plan to deal with red tide, following federal guidelines. If the numbers of red tide algae reach a threshold in a given area, harvest is closed. When the numbers fall below the threshold and the shellfish meat is found toxin free the area is reopened. The East-West Management Plan is a refinement of the monitoring area map for red tide management.

The new monitoring plan is designed to keep shellfish harvesting open as much as possible while avoiding an unhealthy seafood product. The plan, which was announced December 14, is an example of government regulators working with the industry they regulate. Now, let's get the government regulators (The Department of Environmental Protection) to help cut down on dumping red tide producing nutrients into the Gulf of Mexico. The DEP can and should stop pulp mill waste from being dumped into the Gulf.

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