Sewage Blamed For Death Of Seabirds on St. Pete Beach

Sewage To Blame For The Death Of Black Skimmers.

About 45 seabirds, called Black Skimmers, have been found dead along the shores of St. Pete Beach in recent weeks.

In the recent weeks, more that 1 million gallons of municipal sewage into Boca Ciega Bay by surrounding cities. Many believe that this has had a direct effect on the endangered species of Black Skimmers in the area and caused the mass deaths.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Lorraine Margeson of the Florida Shorebird Alliance, who found the first bird carcass says “We Fully expect more to die”.

Elizabeth Forys, a professor of environmental science and biology, says “this is the first time i have ever seen anything like this in Florida”.

There are several potential causes for this occurrence; salmonella, Red Tide or even a virus. But all of these causes could very easily be related to the dumping of sewage into the bay.

The birds reportedly go into convolutions and then flop onto their backs and die.

According to Craig Pittman of the Tampa Bay Times, heavy rains in August prompted a number of Pinellas County cities to dump sewage into area waterways. Gulfport dumped 302,400 gallons into Boca Ciega Bay on Aug. 8.

Hurricane Hermine exacerbated the problem when its rains lashed the Florida peninsula earlier this month. An additional 892,500 gallons spilled Sept. 2, according to city public works director Don Sopak, which is when the storm made landfall in North Florida.

The sewage issue could worsen as the region grapples with the amount of waste that was spilled onto streets and waterways. St. Petersburg officials on Monday estimated that the city dumped about 70 million gallons of sewage into the waters of Tampa Bay. That brings the official total that local cities and counties dumped to 135.1 million gallons — a number that continues to rise.

If you have any information about deceased Black Skimmers please contact the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary or the Florida Shorebird Alliance.

To find out more and to read the full article by Craig Pittman of the Tampa Bay Times, CLICK HERE.

Photo: Elizabeth Forys