News Briefs & Follow Through

New Boater’s Guides Now Available

Just in time for the summer boating season, new boater’s guides for Tampa Bay and both Hillsborough and Boca Ciega bays are hot off the press.

The Boating and Angling Guide to Tampa Bay, produced by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, includes a fold-out map of regional waters. The flip side features information about bay habitats and inhabitants, smaller maps showing boating speed zones and a resource directory with important phone numbers.

The Hillsborough Bay Boater’s Guide, produced by Audubon of Florida with funding from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, provides more in-depth information on the natural features of the area which has been identified as globally significant for bird populations. Key habitats – like the Richard T. Paul Alafia Bank Bird Sanctuary, nearby spoil islands and important preserves – are highlighted along with the birds and fish of the bay.

To get a free copy of the guides, visit www.tbep.org, email colleen@tbep.org or call 727-893-2765. Bulk copies also are distributed through local marinas and bait and tackle shops.

Romancing the Horseshoe Crab

Biologists at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute are asking for help in identifying the area’s best beaches for romantic horseshoe crabs.

Horseshoe crabs — which are actually more closely related to spiders than crabs — spawn just after full and new moons March through June. Populations of the prehistoric creatures are declining nationally, and researchers are concerned that it may affect red knots, a shorebird that relies on horseshoe crab eggs for food during its spring migration and is a candidate for federal listing as an endangered species.

Along with serving as an important part of the food chain, horseshoe crabs benefit humans in several ways. Research on their compound eyes led to better understanding of the human vision system, their blood is used in the biomedical industry and their shells are used to make contact lenses, skin creams and hair sprays.

Researchers are asking beachgoers to report the time, date and location of horseshoe crab sightings online at http://research.MyFWC.com/horseshoe_crab, via email to horseshoe@MyFWC.com or by calling 866-252-9326.

Model Predicts Travel Schedule For Invasive Species

Global travelers be forewarned: June 2010 could be a busy month for invasive plants, insects and animals seeking free rides to distant lands.

A new study forecasts when climate factors such as temperature, humidity and rainfall will match at geographically distant airline departure and destination points. Similar conditions could help to move invasive species — and the diseases they may carry — around the globe along existing flight routes more easily.

Andy Tatem, who holds a joint position at the Emergency Pathogens Institute and the University of Florida's geography department, said his model uses the latest forecast data for climate change and air traffic volumes.

“The problem is that as the global transport networks expand, we’re getting more and more invasive species and pathogens coming from different parts of the world,” Tatem said. “Now they have this high-speed link.”

But exactly how native species wind up aboard an outbound passenger or freight aircraft is still being studied. Tatem said it can be a combination of goods, transport and people bringing things aboard either accidentally or knowingly.

“Some studies have shown that mosquitoes can fly on randomly, or they may get into baggage,” he said. “But some things, like plant pathogens, happen when people purposely bring fruit aboard, or they may bring in a plant that makes it through inspections, or they may just have seeds stuck in the soles of
their shoes.”

Tampa Bay Estuary Program Publishes Progress Report

An online progress report from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program details the accomplishments and challenges facing bay managers for 2009. Among the key accomplishments:

• Water quality has steadily improved with all bay segments meeting targets for the past two years.
  
  
• Tampa Bay has gained about 6,000 acres of seagrasses since 1982, far less than the goal of 32,000 acres but still the highest total since the 1950s.
  
  
• A research project on tidal tributaries reinforced the importance of small streams and creeks that flow into the bay, although many have been severely impacted by development. Researchers noted the need for a greater public awareness of their importance to both fisheries and wading birds, and concluded that all would benefit from management strategies that preserve the natural pattern of freshwater inflow to the creeks.
  
  
• Navigation software on new Garmin GPS chart plotters now features manatee and homeland security zones in Tampa Bay, thanks to an innovative partnership between the estuary program, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Garmin.
  
  
• A model ordinance for regional fertilizer use has been adopted by the TBEP’s policy board. If adopted by local governments, it could reduce nitrogen loadings to Tampa Bay by 84 tons per year.
  
  
• A pilot project educating dog owners about the problems with pet waste showed a 47% decrease in piles over the 10-month mapping and monitoring initiative.
  
  
• Overall, TBEP returns $9 for every $1 invested in the program through local governments, with more than $5 million in additional funding for bay research and improvement activities over the last two years.

BASIS 5 Scheduled for October

BASIS 5 – the continuation of the Bay Area Scientific Information Symposium first held in 1984 that is generally credited with helping transform Tampa Bay into an internationally recognized success story – has been scheduled for Oct. 20 to 23 at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort in St. Petersburg. Look for an in-depth preview in the Summer issue of Bay Soundings or visit www.tbep.org for the latest information.

In Memoriam

Roger Tucker, a driving force behind the creation of Bay Soundings, passed away April 8 after a nine-year battle with cancer.

As General Counsel for the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council for 36 years, and for the Agency on Bay Management and the Tampa Bay Estuary Program since their inception in 1985 and 1991, respectively, Tucker had a substantial impact on land use and environmental policy in the Tampa Bay region.  It was Roger’s vision to create an objective, science-based publication that would provide citizens with in-depth information about Tampa Bay and its natural resources.  He campaigned for Bay Soundings’ first sponsors, helped select its editors and the editorial advisory committee, and provided sage advice on topics to be covered. “His enthusiasm and devotion will be sorely missed,” said TBRPC Director Manny Pumariega.