The Fisheries Campaign of the Marine Resources Council (MRC) has the objective of restoring the once thriving sea life in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL). Many of us remember, as recently as the '70s, when our water was clear and acres of sea grass covered the flats. The IRL was the sea trout capital of the world and teemed with snook, reds and other species fun to catch and great to eat. We stood on the bridges at night and dipped huge shrimp and blue crabs for the table. We could wade in almost anywhere and "shuffle" for tasty clams or pull oysters from beds. We snorkeled and even scuba dived in the lagoon. Sea birds filled the air and waters because the food supply was so great.

Most of that has gone, our once clear waters are usually brown with algae which cloud the water, kill the sea grass and rob the sea life of needed disolved oxygen. Our lagoon sea life are a fraction of what they once were, killed off by nutrient pollution. The two primary villian nutrients are phosphorus and nitrogen and one of the main sources of these is fertilizer run-off from lawns. The IRL suffers from receiving 50% more phosphorus and 41% more nitrogen than it can handle without damage. It is dying.

The good news is that we can bring it back to life by reducing and eliminating the pollutants. Even better news, we can take a tremdous step toward that life easliy, painlessly, and at no cost. The fertilizers most of us use on our lawns contain excessive amounts of both phosphorus and the wrong kind of nitrogen. Florida soil, for the most part, is rich in phosphorus and no additional is needed at all, so, unless a soil test shows otherwise, fertilizer should contain no phoshorus, it isn't needed or used and most runs off into the lagoon. Most fertilizers contain quick release nitrogen which disolves and runs off with the first water that hits it. Most is lost to the grass and is a waste of money. Fertilizer should have at least 51% slow release nitrogen which stays in place and is used by the grass.

The MRC is proposing that county and city governments adopt a strong fertilizer management ordinance that will prohibit the improper fertilizer sales and practices that are killing our lagoon. This ordinance has been enacted by over 40 local goverments in Florida aa well as in several other states and has proven to achieve a 28% reduction in nutrient run off with no adverse impact to lawn care or lawn care businesses. This blog is to ask boaters to join us in this effort, we need your help to convince political leaders that this is the right thing to do.

Can you imagine what our boating life would be if the entire IRL was like Mosquito Lagoon with clear water, abundant sea grass flats and a thriving fin and shell fish population? It can be!