Thursday, May 17, 2001

Brown tide returns and causes murky water in Baffin Bay area

Speculation can stop. That murky water in Baffin Bay is indeed brown tide.
   Biologists at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas tested a sample last week. It's worse than I thought.
   Algae expert Tracy Villareal, associate professor at UTMSI, places the cell count at 1.5 million per milliliter of water. This concentration is about the same level found during the sustained brown tide outbreak from 1989 to 1997.
   Because nobody is certain what starts or stems these algal blooms, it's anyone's guess how long this one will last. Conditions could remain prime for the next several months.
   It's important to remember though, that brown tide is relatively harmless to man and beast, unless you count the degradation to seagrass. Over time, and in high enough concentrations, the dark water blocks sunlight and thwarts photosynthesis at certain water depths.
   Aside from aesthetics, brown tide is more of a nuisance to anglers than anyone else, preventing us from seeing grass lines, rocks and other structure. And forget about sightcasting.
   The discolored water also makes lure fishing difficult, many believe because fish vision has trouble penetrating the dense suspended particles.
   This will give me a chance to test the lesson I recently learned in Galveston's East Bay, where I used large, dark and noisy topwater lures in murky conditions.
   Of course, live bait seems to work fine in the opaque brine, particularly if your bait croaks or grunts.
   Now would be a good time to check your supply of Alameda Rattling Floats.
   Floating cabin proposal
   Speaking of floats, The Texas Senate has passed a proposal that would place a moratorium on floating cabins in coastal waters; and probably eliminate a few as well.
   Senate Bill 1573, proposed by John Lindsay, R-Houston, (and sponsored by Portland's Judy Hawley in the Texas House) survived scrutiny by the House State Recreational Resources Committee late last week and likely will make it to the House floor within a week, then back to the Senate.
   The bill has a good chance of passing.
   If the governor signs it, only floaters in place by June 1 will remain. Also, the cost of owning a floater on the Laguna Madre will increase substantially - about $3,000 initially and $600 annually. And the transfer of such cabins could become more difficult.
   The proposal would not affect cabins on land.
   A ballpark count of floaters in the Coastal Bend alone puts the number at about 100. There's a rumor that a manufacturer was considering mass producing these permanently moored houseboats.
   CCA-Texas suggested to Lindsey that something be done about floaters.
   Concerns range from environmental and health issues to aesthetics and navigational hazards that floaters could pose after storms or neglect.
   As written, the law would require a portable marine toilet in each, an initial $2,500 fee, which would be used to clean up derelict floaters and residual debris, plus a $600 annual permit fee. In the Senate version, ownership could only be transferred to family members who would be in line to inherit property from the owner in the absence of a will. But that provision is not included in the House version, which allows for the sale of floaters.
   The fear is that because no additional floaters could be set in coastal waters after June 1, the price of existing ones would skyrocket, creating a have/have-not situation.
   This issue could be hammered out in conference committee.
   CCA-Texas supports the bill, either way.