I'm not sure the sargassum floating in here is unprecedented. I recall it fouling my leash and covering the beaches many times of the past 30 years. But I was saying it's not a local pollution problem indicator because it comes from - well the sargasso sea.

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Replace turf grass with native plants that don't need irrigation and synthetic fertilizers or chemicals that can go into our waterways and ocean

Skepticism can be healthy but the anti-science/anti-expert sentiment that's infiltrated the surf community is really disheartening. As soon as this conversation turns to pollution and our impact on the environment, the "it's a totally natural and reoccurring event" crowd gets going.

Yes the Sargassum bloom isn't local, it just drifts in when the currents dictate, as always. But the amount of the stuff that is out there in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean and southern Gulf is off the charts compared to historical records. There is increasing evidence that the stuff in the deep tropics and Caribbean is not originating in the Sargasso Sea but is actually growing and proliferating in the affected areas. Increases in dissolved CO2, dust from Africa, upwelling from really intense cyclones, are a few suspected sources of nutrients to fuel the growth.

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That article ww posted was nuts. Mysterious Masses Seaweed Assault Caribbean Islands

Edited: 10/02/2018 at 07:23 AM by PUNCH22

Well someone figured out a use for it

The sarassum wrack line in great for dune development (especuially in out flat beaches up here, but A few years back when we had ALOT wash up in st. augustine. I used a bunch to mulch in my veggie garden with GREAT results (makesure you rinse off th salt first though). (and before the "police" comments....yes, it's usually illegal to harvest in some places.... but I'm such a rebel

Edited: 10/03/2018 at 05:59 AM by Plan B

I hope your not implying I am anti science for I am not. Holding a PhD and published dozens of scientific papers and my name being on a couple of US patents for my work I have a healthy respect for it. But science is also not flawless.



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Replace turf grass with native plants that don't need irrigation and synthetic fertilizers or chemicals that can go into our waterways and ocean

Nope, no implication. My apologies if that seemed aimed at you. It wasn't. "UPDATE All Palm Beach County beaches from Lake Worth Beach north to the Martin County line will remain closed on Wednesday. Lifeguards and staff at Palm Beach County beaches reported continued irritation, according to Palm Beach County Public Affairs Department."

Changing wind patterns are another symptom of climate change. Sargasso has always been there, perhaps a change in wind flow is the cause of the increase along shorelines.

I saw a crap load of baby Triple Tail clinging to it while surfing the other day.

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I was right.

Edited: 10/03/2018 at 07:55 AM by Cole

Lots of dead fish washing up in PBC!

Dead fish on the beaches in northern Palm Beach County--WPBF. WFTV has video of dead fish.

how are the conditions in Brevard county? I'm heading up this weekend. Hopefully cleaner and better surf for the weekend

If it's in PBC now it will be in Brevard soon...#$&%!

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"If I say it's safe to surf this beach, captain, then it's safe to surf this beach!"

The Wednesday FWC map is negative for us.

The FAK

The smell is getting worse. You would think with stiff onshores it would be minimized. Nope.

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"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.

Mullet Marshal just said in public hearing that PBC samples are positive for red tide. This is coming from the GOMEX loop current, and very rare but not unprecedented.

Beaches in northern Miami-Date County are positive and have been closed (Miami Herald)

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"Don't count the days, make the days count." -Ali
#rydyrstrong

Red Tide Rick says that Federal Government has had decades to address this and yet here we are. He also said he is probusiness, anti-regulation and that Corporations should police themselves and have immunity from lawsuits.

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"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.