A red tide bloom is visible in this aerial photo taken off Brohard Beach near the Venice Airport. The Venice Fishing Pier is on the left.

Staff report

SARASOTA COUNTY - An expansive red tide bloom has moved far enough south of Sarasota County to give beaches a respite from piles of dead fish.

Mote Marine Laboratory's Beach Conditions report indicated that almost all monitored beaches in the county are free of dead fish. Air quality is also good at all beaches.

The only beach where a few dead fish remained Thursday afternoon was Venice North Jetty. Mote monitors Manasota Key beach, Venice Beach, Venice North Jetty, Nokomis, Siesta and Lido.

Earlier in the week, thousands of dead fish killed by the toxic algae bloom washed ashore on Manasota Key, Venice beaches and Casey Key beaches. Siesta, Lido and Longboat keys were not affected.

SARASOTA COUNTY - An expansive red tide bloom has moved far enough south of Sarasota County to give beaches a respite from piles of dead fish.

Mote Marine Laboratory's Beach Conditions report indicated that almost all monitored beaches in the county are free of dead fish. Air quality is also good at all beaches.

The only beach where a few dead fish remained Thursday afternoon was Venice North Jetty. Mote monitors Manasota Key beach, Venice Beach, Venice North Jetty, Nokomis, Siesta and Lido.

Earlier in the week, thousands of dead fish killed by the toxic algae bloom washed ashore on Manasota Key, Venice beaches and Casey Key beaches. Siesta, Lido and Longboat keys were not affected.

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Red tide bloom moves farther offshore

It has been a strange week for things washing up on beaches around the world.

On Sunday,a seal was rescued on a beach in Eastbourne, UK, on the coast of the English Channel. The East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (WRAS) quickly responded when the animal was reported, and found it with two strange puncture marks and covered in blood.

"We are not sure this stage what has caused the injuries but it may be the rough weather or fighting with another seal." said Trevor Weeks, the founder of WRAS.

The seal was otherwise healthy, and after recovering at RSPCA Mallydams,it should be released back into the wild.

The same day, authorities in Cape Town, South Africa, shut down the beaches at the south end of the city aftera 40 ton southern right whale washed up on the beach. Several great white sharks were spotted feeding on the whale until it fully washed up on shore.

[ Related: Borneo glow-in-the-dark mushrooms rare but do exist outside the psychedelic world ]

"At this stage it is unclear whether the whale was alive when the great white sharks attacked it or whether it died as a result of illness," said disaster management spokesman WilfredSolomons-Johannes, according to South African newspaper The Star.

The beaches remained closed through Monday, but were re-opened after the whale carcass was removed on Tuesday.

In a similar story, but an ocean away, on Wednesday, reports came in of a 7-metre long humpback whale calf washed up on shore near Burns Beach, north of Perth, Western Australia. The presence of the whale attracted the attention of great white sharks, which swam in sometimes right under surfers to feed. Authorities left the beaches in the area open while plans were made to remove the carcass. No statements have been made as to the cause of the whale's death.

In the most bizarre of these events, a bit closer to home, a man walking on Pompano Beach, north of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Wednesdaydiscovered something that seems more suited to a beach in Japan after Godzilla has fought one of his titanic kaiju foes. A giant eyeball.

Originally posted here:

Bizarre eyeball on Florida beach the latest in a weird week of sea creatures washing ashore

Oceanwise, an Evening for the Estuaries at the Environmental Education Center at the GTM Research Reserve, South Ponte Vedra Beach, begins at 6 p.m. Saturday. Beer, wine and hors d'oeuvres reception, live music by the Dunehoppers, and silent auction will be featured. Selected chefs from local restaurants prepare and offer a variety of ocean friendly sustainable seafood. Proceeds help support ...

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North Beaches: Oceanwise is Saturday at GTM

2012-10-11 22:26

Johannesburg - Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk launched the annual Blue Flag Season initiative at Grotto Beach in the Western Cape on Thursday.

He said Blue Flag beaches were becoming the beach of choice for holiday makers.

"As the number of Blue Flag beaches increases in South Africa, domestic visitors are increasingly exercising their choices in which beaches they visit."

Ministerial spokesperson Melene Rossouw said Grotto Beach was one of those awarded Blue Flag status this year. This was its 11th flag since the initiative was introduced in the country 12 years ago. Quality monitored The initiative, which began in Europe in 1987, encourages beaches and marina to comply with the European Union's Bathing Water Directive.

It monitors water quality, environmental education and information, management, safety and services.

Over 40 countries were currently participating in the programme, with a total of 3 489 beaches and marinas awarded the Blue Flag status in 2012.

Rossouw said South Africa had 36 beaches and marina being monitored for the initiative, and four of them were awarded full flag status this year.

The tourism ministry was pleased with the progress the country was making in attracting visitors to the beaches. "Travel receipts increased in the second quarter of 2012, rising by R5bn to R83.5bn," Rossouw said.

"Tourist arrivals to our country increased by an overall 10.5% year-on-year during the first quarter and overseas arrivals increased by nearly 18%."

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Blue Flag beaches more popular

Floreat and City beaches have been closed after a tagged great white shark was detected in the area.

Surf Lifesaving WA said the shark was detected by the Floreat receiver between 5.04pm and 5.19pm.

The beaches will be closed overnight.

Originally posted here:

Shark detection closes Floreat, City beaches

Seven more beaches awarded Blue Flag

(Wam) / 11 October 2012

The Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS-WWF) announced, in partnership with the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), that these beaches spanning Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah have been granted the international award after meeting a number of strict criteria designed to raise environmental coastal standards.

Another confirmed beach is due to be announced later this year, bringing the grand total of Blue Flag beaches and marinas in the UAE to 12. This follows a successful pilot year in 2011, in which the UAEs first four Blue Flags were awarded.

The newly awarded sites join a global list of 3,849 beaches and marinas across 46 different countries, from the tropical shores of the Caribbean islands to the rugged cliffs of New Zealand. The beaches and marinas awarded the flag include: Emirates Palace beach (Abu Dhabi), Emirates Palace marina (Abu Dhabi), Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa beach (Dubai), Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa marina (Dubai), Jumeirah Open Beach (Dubai), Al Mamzar Beach Park (Dubai) and Le Merdien Al Aqah Beach Resort (Fujairah).

Lisa Perry, Programmes Director at the EWS-WWF, stated: It is with great pleasure we are able to announce that seven more sites have been awarded the Blue Flag in the UAE with another due to be announced later in the year. The commitment of beach and marina management and operators across the country is very encouraging and (we) are proud of the success of Blue Flag in the country so far. We call upon more to apply for this prestigious award to help us raise the bar of costal excellence in the country.

Blue Flag beaches and marinas are accessible for UAE residents and tourists alike and through the Blue Flag programme, we are working, with the management of these sites, to ensure that these areas are kept clean, safe and protected for generations to come.

The Blue Flag programme is awarded on the basis of compliance of up to 32 criteria for beaches and 24 criteria for marinas covering four key areas: environmental education and information, water quality, environmental management, safety and services.

The Blue Flag programme in the UAE is proudly sponsored by Applied Materials. Michael Baxter, Director, Corporate Affairs of Applied Materials, commented: EWS-WWF is playing a critical role in promoting environmental information and education in the region. It is crucial to raise environmental awareness and increase good environmental practices among the tourism industry, tourists and local populations to achieve a healthy balance between biodiversity protection and sustainable tourism development. We are delighted to sponsor the Blue Flag programme in the UAE, which is playing a key role in the protection of natural habitats and the regions resources so generations to come can enjoy.

The EWS-WWF is the national coordinator of the programme and initiated a successful pilot phase at Abu Dhabi Corniche beach in 2011. The EWS-WWF team has since been working with authorities and stakeholders to raise environmental standards of beaches and marinas nationwide. Other beaches that also currently fly Blue Flag in the country are: Le Meridien Mina Seyahi in Dubai, Yas Marina and Al Bandar Marina in Abu Dhabi, all of whom were awarded in 2011.

Excerpt from:

Seven more beaches awarded Blue Flag

WESTBROOK - Dogs and public beaches are like oil and water: They don't mix well. That's the message of a provision in a proposed town ordinance governing the use of town properties. The section if adopted would ban dogs, whether leashed or unleashed, from town beaches. Last week, after hearing comments from the public, the Board of Selectmen voted to send the proposed ordinance on to a Town Meeting vote in October.

The vote to send the ordinance on to town meeting was unanimous.

It was not a sudden decision. The selectmen have been weighing the ordinance-and making revisions-over the past several months. An early September selectmen's meeting at which a final draft was discussed attracted a big crowd.

Most of those who came to that meeting spoke in support of the ordinance, citing both public health and nuisance concerns that allowing dogs on the beach present. One speaker said that even though the Seaside Beach Association has bought 8,000 doggie bags this summer, some dog owners still fail to pick up after their dogs, leaving a surprise in the sand for others to discover.

Another commenter said that two dog attacks had occurred in the previous month on town beaches. Incidents like these, the speaker suggested, could present a legal liability to the town government.

Those who spoke in favor of beach walks with their dogs countered that most dog owners are responsible and do pick up after their pets. If restrictions are made, these dog owners suggested that selectmen consider just a seasonal ban of dog-walking on the beach. That step would at least reduce the potential of mixing children digging in the sand with the few irresponsible owners whose dogs leave "presents."

After hearing from people on both sides of the dog-ban issue, the selectmen decided to send the ordinance on to town meeting as is, banning dogs at all times from town beaches.

Other provisions in the Use of Public Properties ordinance garnered little public comment. Among the other activities the new ordinance would ban on public properties is the "possession and/consumption of alcoholic beverages on any beach park, athletic field, or playground" except as provided for in a permit for a special event.

The ordinance also prohibits horses and other livestock or pet animals from being ridden or walked on any designated beach, park, athletic field, or playground and also prohibits motorized vehicles, ATVs, motor bikes, and snow mobiles from the same venues.

The ordinance, however, allows leashed dogs on public properties other than beaches, such as athletic fields, parks, and playgrounds.

Originally posted here:

Dogs on Beach Debate Moves to Town Meeting

The tagged shark that caused beaches to be closed today. Picture: Twitter/SLSWA

UPDATE 5.40pm: Scarborough and Brighton beaches have been reopened after they were closed for the third time today due to a tagged great white shark being detected in the area.

The shark was detected at 3.54pm resulting in the beaches being closed. The shark has since been detected at 4.09pm, 4.14pm and 4.17pm.

The beaches were also closed at 12.30pm after detections from a receiver at Scarborough at 12.28pm, 12.30pm, 12.33pm and 12.40pm.

The beaches were reopened about an hour later after the shark was undetected following the closure and a helicopter fly-over also failed to spot the shark.

Scarborough Beach was first closed this morning after the shark was spotted there at 6.30am. The shark was tracked south towards Floreat and City Beach.

Floreat and City beaches were closed today after a tagged great white detection.

Surf Life Saving WA detected the shark back in the area about 10.30am and closed the beach again.

City Beach was opened again just after midday but Floreat remains closed.

A 2.5m shark has also been spotted about 50m from shore at North Beach this morning.

See the article here:

Shark alarm closes City, Floreat beaches

The tagged shark that caused beaches to be closed today. Picture: Twitter/SLSWA

UPDATE 5.40pm: Scarborough and Brighton beaches have been reopened after they were closed for the third time today due to a tagged great white shark being detected in the area.

The shark was detected at 3.54pm resulting in the beaches being closed. The shark has since been detected at 4.09pm, 4.14pm and 4.17pm.

The beaches were also closed at 12.30pm after detections from a receiver at Scarborough at 12.28pm, 12.30pm, 12.33pm and 12.40pm.

The beaches were reopened about an hour later after the shark was undetected following the closure and a helicopter fly-over also failed to spot the shark.

Scarborough Beach was first closed this morning after the shark was spotted there at 6.30am. The shark was tracked south towards Floreat and City Beach.

Floreat and City beaches were closed today after a tagged great white detection.

Surf Life Saving WA detected the shark back in the area about 10.30am and closed the beach again.

City Beach was opened again just after midday but Floreat remains closed.

A 2.5m shark has also been spotted about 50m from shore at North Beach this morning.

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Beaches closed after great white's visit

The anti-smoking group, Quit, says a move by the State Government to ban smoking on beaches does not go far enough.

Legislation to be introduced to Parliament this week would turn patrolled beaches into smoke-free zones.

Anyone caught lighting up between the flags will face a $140 fine.

Quit's executive director Fiona Sharkie says the ban should cover all outdoor drinking and dining areas.

"We know that such a ban would reach a great many more people in Victoria than a ban on smoking on beaches," she said.

The Health Minister, David Davis, says a new law would send the right message.

"The focus is on patrolled beaches because that is where the greatest number of people and families exist," he said.

The minister says he hopes the have the law in place before Christmas.

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No smoking between flags on Victorian beaches

The tagged shark that caused beaches to be closed today. Picture: Twitter/SLSWA

UPDATE 5.40pm: Scarborough and Brighton beaches have been reopened after they were closed for the third time today due to a tagged great white shark being detected in the area.

The shark was detected at 3.54pm resulting in the beaches being closed. The shark has since been detected at 4.09pm, 4.14pm and 4.17pm.

The beaches were also closed at 12.30pm after detections from a receiver at Scarborough at 12.28pm, 12.30pm, 12.33pm and 12.40pm.

The beaches were reopened about an hour later after the shark was undetected following the closure and a helicopter fly-over also failed to spot the shark.

Scarborough Beach was first closed this morning after the shark was spotted there at 6.30am. The shark was tracked south towards Floreat and City Beach.

Floreat and City beaches were closed today after a tagged great white detection.

Surf Life Saving WA detected the shark back in the area about 10.30am and closed the beach again.

City Beach was opened again just after midday but Floreat remains closed.

A 2.5m shark has also been spotted about 50m from shore at North Beach this morning.

See the original post:

Shark alarm closes beaches

Red tide has been detected at Stump Pass in Englewood. The algae bloom has caused a fish kill on the beach noticeable last week.

More than seven tons of dead fish have been scooped from Sarasota County beaches in just two days, as a persistent bloom of toxic red tide algae plagues the coastline.

The bloom is mostly lingering offshore of Charlotte Harbor, but patches of the algae also have been found as far south as Lee County and as far north as Manatee. Although dead fish have washed ashore as far north as Casey Key, the epicenter of the carnage is Manasota Key, which is shared by Charlotte and Sarasota counties.

The bloom began affecting the region last week and is the first since 2007 to have wide-ranging and lingering impacts. Red tide wreaked havoc in Southwest Florida around this time last year, but reports of dead fish were spotty.

The good news is that winds should begin to blow the bloom and the dead fish offshore in the coming days, said Jason Lenes, research associate at the University of South Florida.

EARLIER: A lingering red tide bloom is continuing to deposit dead fish on the county's southern beaches, making beach days from Nokomis south less than pleasant.

Dead fish were reported on Nokomis Beach, Venice North Jetty Beach and Venice Beach. Several dead fish were reported on Manasota Key beaches. County staff are cleaning up the fish.

The only beach where red tide was strong enough to cause reports of moderate respiratory irritation was the Venice North Jetty Beach.

Sarasota County health officials advised pet owners that red tide can also affect dogs brought to the beach.

Mote Marine Laboratory's beach conditions report is updated at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily. Reports can be viewed online at http://www.mote.org/beaches. Residents and visitors can also register to receive email reports about specific beaches. For telephone updates, call 941-BEACHES and press 1 for Sarasota County beaches.

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Red tide fish kill hits South County beaches

By Leon Watson

PUBLISHED: 00:44 EST, 9 October 2012 | UPDATED: 02:19 EST, 9 October 2012

A large section of coastline in South Africa has been closed after a beached 30 metre long whale was attacked by Great White sharks.

The sharks fed off the giant mammal's carcass when it washed up on Muizenberg beach near Cape Town on Sunday.

Authorities have since removed the southern right whale, but say it was found with chunks of flesh torn off its body. A stretch of shore has now been closed to the public 'as a precaution'.

A man photographs a beached Southern right whale carcass washed up on Muizenberg beach on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa

Disaster response teams had moved swiftly to get the animal out of the water and onto a flat-bed truck.

Wilfred Solomons-Johannes, a spokesman for Cape Town's disaster risk management centre, said: 'A decision was taken to begin the recovery operation immediately because of the increase of shark activity off beaches along the False Bay coastline.'

The warning did not stop curious onlookers streaming to the site.

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Beaches close in South Africa after Great White sharks tear flesh from a giant whale that washed up on shore

Posted: Monday, October 8, 2012 9:00 am | Updated: 9:36 am, Mon Oct 8, 2012.

UPDATED: Beaches Have Reopened After Sewage Spill By Jonathan Van Dyke Staff Writer Gazettes.com - Gazette Newspapers Long Beach California |

WEEKEND UPDATE: All beaches have been cleared and reopened by the City Health Officer.

NOTE: City health officials have added all beaches within Alamitos Bay as a precaution. Testing continues.

Several Long Beach area beaches have been closed until further notice due to a sewage spill.

The City Health Officer closed Mothers Beach to water contact until testing confirms that results are within state standards. The closure comes after there was a sewage spill in the Cerritos Channel.

Health officials categorized the 1,000-gallon spill as low level it occurred and was contained on Sunday afternoon. The spill originated in the Bixby Terrace area due to a failure of a private sump pump.

Still, do to the proximity of the spill to Mothers Beach, officials said the beach will remain closed until they finish testing Marine Stadium also has been closed to water contact as an extra precaution.

These closures will be posted in the necessary areas and water sampling will continue today (Monday) to determine when the beaches will reopen.

Posted in Government, Environment, News on Monday, October 8, 2012 9:00 am. Updated: 9:36 am. | Tags: News, Grunion, Gazette, Gazettes, Long Beach, Mother's Beach, Marine Stadium, Sewage, Spill, Closure

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UPDATED: Beaches Have Reopened After Sewage Spill

South Beaches: Meet the candidates on Thursday Lorraine Thompson South Beaches News The St. Augustine Civic Association will host its second of the season Meet the Candidates Night Forum at 7 p.m., Thursday at City Hall. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

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South Beaches: Meet the candidates on Thursday

SYDNEY'S beaches are about to get a visit from an unlikely bunch of tourists as risk assessors get sandy in the name of safety.

More than 220 NSW beaches and headlands, including popular Sydney beaches Coogee and Maroubra, will be targeted in a state-wide project to assess how safe swimmers are when they paddle out to sea.

Risk assessors will be sent out to gather data about signage, lifesaving and coastal hazards including rips, waves, rocks and the potential to fall from heights.

Project manager Adam Weir says the first phase of Project Blueprint targets the state's 10 most prevalent drowning spots.

"We're looking at all those things that might pose a threat to the beachgoers. Things that might cause injury or lead to more serious injury or drowning," he told AAP.

"We then assess them in terms of their risk."

Risk management formulas are used to rank beaches and locations, with the project ultimately aiming to provide a long term drowning prevention strategy.

"Although we've done a lot of research on the coast, it hasn't been at this high level," Mr Weir said, adding that technology such as iPads had improved the detail of data collected.

About 20 people drowned last year on NSW beaches, with 107 losing their lives to drowning across the state.

Project Blueprint is part of a state government initiative to halve the number of drowning deaths by 2020.

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Risk assessors take to Sydney beaches

Reader Andrea Hampson sings the praises of the beautiful beaches of Esperance.

BERKELEY RIVER, THE KIMBERLEY

In response to your recent article about the most beautiful beaches (101 Best Beaches by Andy Short), I wonder whether he has visited Esperance in March, as we did earlier this year.

I have seen beaches all around the world, down south and up north in the east and in WA and, although the beaches you mentioned are beautiful, I have never seen more stunning beaches than around Esperance on a clear sunny day.

The Great Ocean Road drive near the town was amazing enough but when we went further east to Duke Of Orleans Bay and discovered Little and Big Whartons, Hellfire Bay, Lucky Bay and Thistle Cove, we were absolutely stunned by the pristine crystal aquamarine water, icing sugar-white sand and rocks of Cape Le Grand National Park.

There were varying shades of blue in the water from a deep dark blue to the lightest aquamarine. The sand was very fine and as white as snow and the gentle waves rolled in breaking to a white foam.

I have never seen such crystal- clear ocean. There were lots of islands and bays to add more beauty and amazing rocks. We did strike very good weather - clear blue skies and hot enough to enjoy swimming.

I am sure you have been there yourself but I cannot understand why this part of our amazing State is not advertised more. It took us over 60 years to get to Esperance and it was one of the best holidays we have had - certainly the best beach holiday and most relaxing.

I took hundreds of photos and the enclosed are a few extra I had. Why do we not see pictures like this showcasing what a beautiful and stunning area we have in our own backyard?

Most of the people we met down there were from New Zealand, Eastern States or overseas. We certainly had no idea how gorgeous it was, even though we had heard about Esperance from time to time.

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Don't forget Esperance

2012-10-07 21:52

Cape Town - A 30m southern right whale carcass has been spotted offshore near Capricorn beach in Cape Town, the city disaster risk management centre said on Sunday.

"The whale carcass is approximately three kilometres past Sunrise Circle after Capricorn beach and can been seen from Baden Powell Drive," said spokesperson Wilfred Solomons-Johannes.

"It has been established that the whale has been bitten several times by Great White sharks, and the bay is covered in a lot of blood and pieces of blubber are afloat at sea."

He said the city has ordered the shoreline between Muizenberg and Monwabisi beaches be closed to the general public as a precautionary measure.

"The shark spotters are constantly monitoring any sightings of sharks along the False Bay coastline. The City is appealing to all water users to be vigilant at this time, obey the shark siren, and to take note of the shark spotters' flags and signage for regular updates on shark sightings."

He said the rapid response teams would attempt to recover the carcass at first daylight on Monday. "Beach users are advised that the general caution will remain in place until further notice," he said.

- SAPA

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Beaches closed after sharks attack whale

All recreational beaches were closed in Alamitos Bay last week because of a sewage spill from a private system into the Cerritos Channel.

The spill was contained shortly after the city became aware of it on Sept. 30. Mother's Beach was the first to be affected by the spill and was closed immediately.

"It honestly sucks that something like this could happen, Cory Carrasco, a sophomore communications major, said.

According to Long Beach City Health Officer Mitchell Kushner, the spill resulted from the failure of a private homeowners association pump, causing sewage to overflow from manholes onto the street and flow into the channel. The pump normally pushes sewage from homes into the city system.

Kushner said that new safeguards will be discussed at a meeting with homeowners in hopes of preventing this problem from happening again. He also said the property owners were looking at a possible fine or corrective action because the same problem has occurred before.

The Long Beach Health Department conducted water tests every day from Monday to Saturday to see when beach visitors could safely swim in the water again.

Kushner said that clean tests on consecutive days were required to re-open beaches. All beaches re-opened Saturday, according to an automated call-in message from the Long Beach department of Health and Human Services.

I'm glad the city took these precautions so no one comes into contact with the contaminated water and that they are using thorough testing to make sure the water is clean again, senior communications major Amie Boonlikit said.

The spills also affected the Cal State Long Beach Crew Team, which normally rows in Alamitos Bay.

According to the team president of the mens crew team, Yashar Rahimpour, the spill postponed one of the teams races until the following weekend.

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Local beaches closed due to sewage spill

(credit: Mark Ralston/Getty Images)

LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) Beaches along Alamitos Bay in the city of Long Beach reopened Saturday morning following last weeks sewage spill.

Water quality tests conducted by the citys health department showed safe bacterial levels.

Given that the past two days have produced water quality findings within the States recreational water quality standards, the City of Long Beach is re-opening Mothers Beach and the other locations inside the Alamitos Bay that were previously affected by last weeks spill, Dr. Mitchell Kushner said in a statement released by the city of Long Beach.

The closure included Mothers Beach and other calm-water recreation areas, but not the ocean itself.

The original spill last Sunday was due to the failure of a private sewer system.

The recreation area has become increasingly popular with stand-up surfers and paddlers.

(2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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Alamitos Bay Beaches Reopen Following Sewage Spill