# Mosquito Lagoon Algae Bloom



## fishicaltherapist

Those who don't fish, don't give a #*!?#@$%. Keep that frickin' lawn green at any cost. fertilize, fertilize till the bloom fries your eyes. The powers that be just DO NOT GET IT !!! [smiley=1-doh.gif]


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## Rediculous

The water in the pole and troll still has some extremely clear water. Unfortunately there weren't very many fish. Unless you wanna sightcast sheepshead, cause there were hundreds of those. They're 10 times spookier than the reds though.


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## MariettaMike

> I fished the southern end of the lagoon (Haulover south) and either the algae bloom is back again or the the water is extremely muddy.  I was unable to find clean water anywhere I went with visibility less than a foot in most places.  I hope is disappears soon or it is going to be a long summer.



Hmmmmm....based on what I saw today my compass must be from Australia...but, I also thought cloudy water was caused by too many manatees.


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## Bissell

The bloom is due to lots of fresh water from storms and high temps through out the day. No one to blame but Mother Nature. North Indian river is the same way.


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## MAV181

http://www.2ndlight.com/fusetalk/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=150689&enterthread=y 

Check out this post from the director of the IRL estuary program. Doesn't look good for the lagoon.


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## Rediculous

> The bloom is due to lots of fresh water from storms and high temps through out the day. No one to blame but Mother Nature. North Indian river is the same way.


We've always had lots of fresh water and high temps, so why was the first brown tide only just recently become a problem? I agree the warm temps along with fresh water helps the algea thrive. But the 2010 winter was kinda like the straw that broke the camels back. The massive fish kills pumped so much nutrients and nitrates into the water it killed off the phytoplankton that feeds on the algeas in the lagoon. These algeas have always been present, the phytoplankton just kept it in check. Not enough sea grass=Not enough filters and that's means chitty water. Will the lagoons ever balance out again? Maybe, I hope so... But the abuse it gets from mankind every single day, is definitely going to play a role also.


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## Bissell

That's what I was told by the local fwc officers while I was working at A Day Away kayak tours. Maybe I never noticed, but I thought the water was always dirty during the summer time.


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## Rediculous

> That's what I was told by the local fwc officers while I was working at A Day Away kayak tours. Maybe I never noticed, but I thought the water was always dirty during the summer time.


There is a big difference, between dirty and uninhabitable death water. The water is typically "dirty" from all the life in the lagoon during spring/summer. Huge runs of bait and higher water allow the dolphin to get far up on flats, the masses of manatee return, all this influx of life stirs up the waters. The past 3-4 years the water quality has changed dramatically. The majority of my most productive areas for summer time bulls have become baron wastelands at those times of the year now. I base my theory on common sense. I believe over time things like: NASA,  fertilizer and nutrient runoff from houses and communities on or close to the river, the freezes of 2010 and 11, and last but not least, the over abundance and abuse from boaters and anglers, along with hundreds maybe thousands of other reasons. Has finally resulted in the issues the lagoons are facing now. When air breathing animals (manatees, pelicans and dolphin) are dying in big numbers from unknown causes, it's more than rain and high temps causing this. Maybe it's cause the dolphin and pelicans eat the fish and the manatees eat the vegetation from a polluted and dying estuary. Estuaries are supposed to be a breeding ground for life, which it has been for centuries. Seriously, just look at google earth and zoom in the areas surrounding NASA and tell me if it looks normal or healthy. Check right above Team Condo just north of the NASA PRWY in NMZ. Crazy chit goin on.


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## fishicaltherapist

Short and simple. TOO MUCH FERTILIZER screws up Nature's balance! It nearly killed Bishop's Harbor in Tampa Bay several years ago. The bloom was so bad, they ran a hydrilla harvester ( water combine) FOR WEEKS!! 



FERTILIZER KILLS when used with reckless abandon. It nearly killed Bishop's Harbor in Tampa Bay several years ago. They ran a harvester for weeks getting the blooming algae out. Having a green lawn is not worth poisoning our estuaries!! Stop the use of PHOSPHOROUS laden fertilizers and let Nature do it's job. The fish and other marine life were here LONG BEFORE fertilizers. Think about it! [smiley=1-mmm.gif]


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## Knight Patrol

> Check right above Team Condo just north of the NASA PRWY in NMZ. Crazy chit goin on.


Are you referring to the water or land?


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## Rediculous

> Check right above Team Condo just north of the NASA PRWY in NMZ. Crazy chit goin on.
> 
> 
> 
> Are you referring to the water or land?
Click to expand...

Just off the water, in a small inland pond. Just west of a bunch of birds going crazy on the shoreline of the NMZ. 
Literally 100' north of Team Condo. But, even the water coming from Cochran cove out to the banana river is super funky.


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## AfterHours2

Got out on the lagoon yesterday and the water was pretty dirty. Headed over to the Indian river north of the RR bridge and water was just as bad. Fishing seemed to be tons better on the river though. Tons of mullet pods with big reds thrown in the mix. I cheated after a while and caught some hogs on cutt bait. I couldn't resist being every time I went to throw the net I had to bail to keep from netting one of the big guys..


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## el9surf

Fished oak hill / lagoon this morning. The algae bloom is in full effect up there. Ran a few miles north and south of slippery and the water quality was horrible. Tons of bait but not much else.


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## Rediculous

Superbloom, can chupa mi webos.


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## Knight Patrol

I was on the water again today and had decent luck. The reds are still there just hard as hell to see.

The bloom sucks!!!,


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## AfterHours2

Pretty sure Im done with the southern end of the lagoon for a while. Its either going to be the Eldora area or river for me. But then again, I always seem to change my mind


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## Bill_Nosan

> Pretty sure Im done with the southern end of the lagoon for a while. Its either going to be the Eldora area or river for me. But then again, I always seem to change my mind


The north lagoon and eldora area is already getting skanky. If found clean water in the back of sheldon and white sand areas, but it seems to be migrating back as it did last year.


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## Dillusion

The best fishing I had all year last year was during the big bloom. Fish couldnt see you...granted you had to cast literally 6" from their faces or no bite.

While poling during the bloom, I came up on a school of 200 fish tailing all morning long. Must have put my girl on at least 15 fish that day all slot...probably just right place right time though ;D


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## Bissell

So we're is this "Fertilizer" coming from? There are no houses on the south end of the goon. And not enough to make this happen in the north irl... I talked to someone that's in the loop and was told it had to do with the freez in 2010 and these are shock waves from all the dead fish laying on the bottom. The fertilizer theory makes no seance to me.. 

Edit; if you go south to cocoa are rockledge where there is an abundance of houses on the water, the water is crystal clear...


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## Rediculous

> So we're is this "Fertilizer" coming from? There are no houses on the south end of the goon. And not enough to make this happen in the north irl... I talked to someone that's in the loop and was told it had to do with the freez in 2010 and these are shock waves from all the dead fish laying on the bottom. The fertilizer theory makes no seance to me..
> 
> Edit; if you go south to cocoa are rockledge where there is an abundance of houses on the water, the water is crystal clear...


The fertilizers are coming from the St. Johns, they're pumping it into the banana river. Which is where the bloom is coming from. The freezes are a major part of the issue. But really it's a combination of many things. 
The reason the lagoons are so effected, is the lack of tide. It more or less just festers in these basically non tidal areas. Overtakes and kills sea grass, which just enhances the bloom.
Personally, I believe NASA, over the years, did the most damage. And when these other factors occurred and compiled, the lagoons just couldn't fight it. Kinda like terminal cancer, eventually the body just can't fight it any longer. Hopefully the lagoon isn't terminal. Cause the complete loss of that estuary could possibly effect the whole coast, just as the loss of any estuary might do. 
Whatever the exact reason for it is, I don't know. All I know is... It's a real buzzkill.


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## Rediculous

> The best fishing I had all year last year was during the big bloom. Fish couldnt see you...granted you had to cast literally 6" from their faces or no bite.
> 
> While poling during the bloom, I came up on a school of 200 fish tailing all morning long. Must have put my girl on at least 15 fish that day all slot...probably just right place right time though  ;D


I agree, the fishing can still be great. I caught a ton of fish last summer, and recently, I've been seeing monster bulls everywhere I go. But I've also been seeing allot of belly-up reds and mullet, along with some serious funky growth that I've never seen before...ever. 
This year already seems worse than the previous ones, and summer is just now beginning.


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## el9surf

Fishing last summer was stellar with high water despite the bloom. In hindsight not sure the fishing pressure on an already stressed ecosystem was the best idea. Didnt notice the algae bloom in the north end till August. Scary to see it in full swing in May. The summer heat isn't really on us yet which isn't going to help.


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## Bissell

It blows my mind how such a small thing can affect so much. Hopefully she makes it..


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## Rediculous

> It blows my mind how such a small thing can affect so much. Hopefully she makes it..


Just like everything in nature, it's all a balancing act. It doesn't take much to tip the scale.


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## IRLyRiser

Where does water from the St. John's enter the Banana River?


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## Hicatch

> Where does water from the St. John's enter the Banana River?


As far as I can tell it doesn't.

I recently spoke with a guy who owns the Jackson Hole fish camp in Oak Hill and he had an interesting perspective regarding the bloom. He told me that right around the first big bloom there was a crew working to eradicate Brazilian Peppers in the NIRL by boring into the bases of the trees and injecting some kind of poison. He said not very soon after the water around Scottsmoor Landing turned milky and the fish all but disappeared from the area.

In my opinion the impoundments need to be bulldozed to open up the marsh to allow for the natural flow of the lagoons to return. I believe that the impoundments and the levies have done the most damage and it has finally gotten to a point where the disruption they created have come to or gone past the tipping point. 

Even being non tidal there still is water flow in the lagoons and with the loss of grass and mangroves from the impoundments there is reduced natural filtration of the water. This allows for increased turbidity creating conditions that choke out sea grass growth, and the result from all the decaying vegetation is an increase of detritus. The effect takes years to develop but it is clearly evident in the NIRL that this is happening and the recent fish kills from the freezes accelerated the process. 

As mentioned the loss of phytoplankton is significant as these micro organisms feed on detritus acting as the balancers. Without this the bottom becomes mucky, the water turns milky and the sea grasses do not get enough sun light or have hard bottom to flourish and grow.

Coupled with liberal use of fertilizers, insecticides and man made flood/mosquito control measures the lagoons have endured over the years it has taken a natural event to reveal the extent of the damages. The freezes are normal occurring cyclical events. Just look back and trends are evident.


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## Rediculous

They sprayed for the Brazilian pepper all over the place, not just the NIRL. All around Eldora and slippery creek area, and who knows how far south into ML. But I seen them every morning in CNS, leaving in their airboats and spraying all day for months. But the bloom isn't coming from the lagoons ,it's invading them.
I don't know where exactly The st.johns is being pumped into the banana, but it is. The bloom is coming from the banana.


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## swaddict

"the bloom of 2011 started in the IRL and moved into the ML, 2012 the bloom started in the ML and moved into the IRL. the research into the cause of last year’s devastating bloom continues. Some scientists suspect the freezes killed a kind of algae that drifts in the lagoon, soaking up nutrients and pollutants that wash into the lagoon with rainwater. Without that drift algae acting as a sponge, Steward said it’s possible the other algae was able to take advantage of the nutrients washed into the lagoon by Tropical Storm Debby late in June. St. Johns River Water Management District officials said Tuesday the bloom was first detected in early April 2013 in the northern end of the Indian River Lagoon but has since spread into the southern Mosquito Lagoon and southward to Titusville," from an article in the Daytona Beach News.


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## Rediculous

> "the bloom of 2011 started in the IRL and moved into the ML, 2012 the bloom started in the ML and moved into the IRL.  the research into the cause of last year’s devastating bloom continues. Some scientists suspect the freezes killed a kind of algae that drifts in the lagoon, soaking up nutrients and pollutants that wash into the lagoon with rainwater. Without that drift algae acting as a sponge, Steward said it’s possible the other algae was able to take advantage of the nutrients washed into the lagoon by Tropical Storm Debby late in June. St. Johns River Water Management District officials said Tuesday the bloom was first detected in early April 2013 in the northern end of the Indian River Lagoon but has since spread into the southern Mosquito Lagoon and southward to Titusville," from an article in the Daytona Beach News.


The superbloom of 2011, started in the banana river lagoon system then it move to the NIRL then to the ML. That's on the st.johns management website. Honestly I don't know for fact, where it came from or where it's heading. All I can do is read the reports from experts and hear what guides have to say about it. I do know, for a fact, that it has spread much farther north into oak hill. So it definitely isn't just moving south to Titusville. The currents move north and south, so it only makes sense the bloom does the same. I know it came in fast and hard this year, there was no real gradual transition like the previous years.


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## el9surf

Fished oak hill this am and the water quality was as bad as last year at the peak of th bloom. Covered 15 miles and didn't find a trout or red. Guess its time to start making longer drives amd learning new areas.


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## Rediculous

Same here. Launched out of oakhill this morning. Didn't like what I saw, no fish and filthy water. So I loaded up and dropped in at edgewater. Still, pretty nasty water. Found a few reds around the edges of oysters, saw 3 caught 1. Pretty lame day, all in all. I'm gonna try some NSB backcountry next, been awhile since I've dinked around back there .


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## mejioelee

went out with a friend out of haulover. indian river was still pretty bad. saw some mullet, but no reds. got chased in by a storm, so was only out for an hour or so.


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## Dillusion

At least our algae bloom isnt this bad: http://www.weather.com/news/science/environment/green-algae-swamping-lakes-china-photos-20130717

Funny thing is, the 'causes' are the same. 'new runoff from golf courses and farms in the area'.


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## Knight Patrol

The water is cleaning up where I have been fishing lately and it has been nice to finally sight fish again. I have been fishing the central and south lagoon; anyone fishing other places and what are you seeing?


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## Chasintail22

Between George's Bar and Orange Island has been much better in most spots, but is still varying with each flat you hit. Either way, fishing has been good the past 2 weeks. Did very well Saturday morning with plenty of fish to be had sight fishing...

Yesterday evening was a little slow, but still managed a couple. Water was dirtier but mainly because of the strong winds all afternoon.


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## Noxicfish

Depending on location and date, count me in  ;D


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## tunnelflat

Can anyone give an update on oakhill and north? Been thinking about making the drive up from ft. pierce and camping over the weekend, just for a change of scenery.


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## Rediculous

> Can anyone give an update on oakhill and north? Been thinking about making the drive up from ft. pierce and camping over the weekend, just for a change of scenery.


You'll find some cleaner water and plenty of fish, on the shallow grass flats around oakhill. As you get farther north towards edgewater, the water will be less desirable. Mostly due to the amount of boat traffic, still plenty of fish though.


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## tunnelflat

Thanks bud appreciate it, if scouting for ducks looks bleak ill be there, in a 16 whipray tiller if you see me wave me down.


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