It was a grim sight: a juvenile loggerhead sea turtle splayed in a big black tub; curiously still.
So paralyzed by the potent neurotoxins of Karenia brevis, it was unable to lift its head to breathe while swimming. Instead, it lay motionless on a thick pad of foam, kept moist by a fine mist of water, at the MOTE Marine Laboratory’s Rehabilitation Center.
Loggerheads are benthic, or bottom feeders. They eat shellfish, crabs, and fish – animals laden with high concentrations of Karenia brevis during red tide blooms like the present one. Over 100 sick sea turtles had been brought in last year and now 2006 numbers were rivaling that count: just another example of the effects of this Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB).
But chances of recovery had improved in the past year, thanks to Dr. Charles Manire and the MOTE staff, who do the twice-daily checkups and treatment at the center.
Dr. Manire’s staff began their early morning rounds by lifting the lumbering turtle gently up, so the veterinarian could take a blood sample. Then its head was rested on the padded edge of the tub and hindquarters elevated, to encourage the symptomatic mucus to drain from its throat and mouth. After the routine exam, the assistants stood the turtle on end while Dr. Manire slid a tube down its throat, to force-feed some fishy gruel. It was then laid back on its cushioned perch, misters turned on, and Dr. Manire proceeded to the next.
Sea turtles are thought to be barometers of the seas – sort of like canaries in coal mines, they are indicators of woes. And here there were –- a slew of sickened sea turtles. I couldn’t help but wonder: what is the red tide doing to us?
At Siesta Key, Dr. Barbara Kirkpatrick (MOTE Manager of the Environmental Health Program) and Dr. Lora Fleming (University of Miami Professor of Epidemiology) were working on just that. Along with a swat team of field workers numbering in the dozens, the partnership was studying the effects of the Karenia brevis ‘aerosol’ on human health.
Because of the fragile exoskeleton of Karenia brevis, the neurotoxin is released in to the air when the micro-organism is ruptured in the tumbling waves. The amount people breathe in is a fraction of what sea turtles ingest in their diet. But still, Public Health officials are resolved to determine whether it’s a fleeting irritant, or can cause chronic problems.
So on select days, a study group of volunteers come to the beach and submit to a round of tests -- nasal swabs, spiramoter breathing tests that measure lung capacity, blood samples, etc. – both before and after their exposure to the aerosol.
They came in all ages, shapes and sizes to participate in this vital research and the crew filmed the process; then proceeded to the beach where water and air sampling were underway too. Everywhere we went, people asked what we were doing, asked about Florida’s red tide, and we asked them questions in return. Their perceptions and knowledge were far and wide, but a common denominator was the quest to know more.
-Submitted by Betsy Crowfoot, EISF Writer and Production Coordinator
