The Australian spotted jellyfish, Phyllorhiza punctata , which first appeared in the Indian River Lagoon in 2001, has reappeared. Sightings include the area from Palm Bay north through Honeymoon Lake, near Pineda. There have also been unconfirmed reports from Merritt Island and as far north as Ponce Inlet in Volusia County.

The Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) has determined that the likely cause for the fish kill at Port St. John on the 19th was an algae bloom of Karlodinium micrum, a single celled dinoflagellate that normally occurs at low concentrations in the lagoon. This species occurs world-wide and is a frequent cause of “black tides” or “mahogany tides” in the mid-Atlantic states, especially in the water of the Chesapeake Bay, where blooms can turn water a deep brown or coffee color.

Hello and welcome to the first posting in the Ecology section! I’m Kathy Hill, Lagoon Education Coordinator for the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program, which is sponsored locally by the St. Johns River Water Management District.