30 years ago I remember when the inlets shoals were full of turtle grass and inside these grass beds lived seahorses and juvenile trigger fish. Only a small patch of turtle grass is left and it is threatened by algal blooms that starve it of light that it needs to photosynthesize. We use a very hands on approach to address this as you can see in the underwater video. Using our thumbnails we scrape away the algae sometimes on a daily basis to maximise the amount of sunlight that reaches each leaf. For this effort to have permanent effects it’s going to take a diligent army of volunteers tackling this problem on an ongoing basis. It hardly feels like work when puffer fish and schools of baitfish come by to see what you are up to.
There are many ways that humans are actively altering our oceans but sometimes the passive effects or our inaction may have even bigger impacts. Garbage, plastic, monofilament, party items, fishing gear, all left in the water often takes It own deadly toll. Everyday I see plastic bottles floating past my boat on their way out to sea. Whenever I see this I try to go after it. One of our goals will be to organize regular beach and water cleanup activities to raise awareness and to make keeping our beaches and oceans clean fun.
Fort Pierce has always been known for its great fishing whether it’s from land or sea. There are many docks, peers, and beaches that offer unrestricted fishing access and this has drawn people from across the country to make this area home. This has led to overfishing and increasing pressure on local fish stocks. I remember as a kid when schools of fish would darken the water like storm clouds and schools of migrating mullet were so thick that it seemed you could walk across the inlet on their backs. Those days are no more but it doesn’t have to be that way forever. It is our aim to leverage public support to have certain areas protected from fishing and open to engaging sea life in a more sustainable and honestly more fulfilling way. I will never forget the amazing interactions I have had with fish and mammals in our inlet. Having intact ecosystems allows for prolific growth of corals, sponges, crabs, fish, plants, etc.
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