Latest news with #Caulerpa
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Science
- Scoop
Rapid Response Underway To Remove Invasive Seaweed Found Near Little Barrier Island
Press Release – Ngati Manuhiri Patches of the invasive seaweed Exotic Caulerpa have been located at three sites off the North-East coast of Te Hauturu-o-Toi (Little Barrier Island). Nicola Rata-MacDonald, Chief Executive of the Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust, says the discovery of caulerpa at Hauturu is yet another indication that Te Moananui-a-toi (the Hauraki Gulf) is under threat, and is in need of urgent restorative action. 'Hauturu is one of the most significant conservation areas in the world—New Zealand's first ever nature reserve—and decisive action is needed to protect this taonga.' Nicola says. 'Today, our team marked the beginning of the Hauturu Rapid Response by laying a karakia over the area, and we will lead the attack on Caulerpa at Hauturu to eliminate this pest from our rohe moana. 'Our work with officials has shown that swift operational action is not hindered by a culturally informed response—it has been Ngāti Manuhiri pushing for action since this incursion was first discovered at Hauturu.' Despite claims that Caulerpa cannot be eradicated, the Trust successfully removed an infestation at Omaha Cove in Leigh in June 2024—the first and only instance of this happening in New Zealand. Ms Rata-MacDonald says that time is of the essence to ensure a successful response. 'While the patch of caulerpa we managed to eradicate at Leigh was small, we were successful because we didn't wait for it to spread and get out of hand.' Nicola says. 'Our kaitiaki responded immediately to treat the infestation, in partnership with Te Kaunihera o Tamaki Makaurau and supported by the University of Auckland, showing that if treated with the urgency that any biosecurity incursion deserves, we can get on top of this invasive pest. 'We cannot continue to treat caulerpa as a case study, it must be confronted with action which recognises the existential threat to our moana that it is. That's what our team will be doing over the coming days.' Recent comments from the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries confirming the Government will not take action to prevent bottom trawling in the Gulf has alarmed the Trust, who say that trawling will only help to spread exotic caulerpa further throughout the Gulf. 'Almost three-quarters of the Hauraki Gulf is open to bottom trawling and Danish seining – a destructive fishing method where weighted nets are dragged along the seafloor, ripping up everything in their path.' Nicola says. 'Caulerpa is already spreading throughout the Gulf, and allowing bottom trawling to continue only increases the risk of fragmentation and further spreading of this invasive seaweed. 'We are under siege from this pest, and rather than committing the investment needed to remove and eliminate exotic caulerpa, the Minister has confirmed the Government will only make it easier to destroy our benthic habitats, whether with nets or with weeds. 'We're calling on the Government to protect the Gulf by banning bottom trawling, investing in the eradication of exotic caulerpa, and urgently progressing the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill —without amendment—to ensure we can restore the waiora and mauri of the Gulf.' NOTES: Exotic Caulerpa was first detected at Hauturu on 6 May 2025 at the following sites: Site 1 – The Queen South (-36.1727, 175.1082) Site 2 – Waimaomao Bay (-36.1677, 175.0968) Site 3 – Waimaomao Bay (-36.1693451, 175.0952474) About Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust is the post settlement governance entity (PSGE) responsible for representing the Ngāti Manuhiri hapū and iwi members, giving effect to the Ngāti Manuhiri Claims Settlement Act 2012. Established in 2011, the Trust is committed to ensuring a prosperous future for Ngāti Manuhiri whānau. Our rohe, moana, and interests are across Te Moananui-ā-Toi including the inner and outer islands and rocky outcrops from Aotea, to Te Paepae o Tu, to Hauturu, and Takapuna. Te Moananui-ā-Toi is the greater oceans encompassing the Hauraki Gulf and Hauraki marine park and so, we refer to the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana as Te Moananui-ā-Toi. The Trust's work centres on the protection of the taiao, reinvigoration of community purpose and service, maintenance of cultural integrity and investing to support the economic prosperity of future generations. More information on Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust can be found at
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Science
- Scoop
Rapid Response Underway To Remove Invasive Seaweed Found Near Little Barrier Island
Press Release – Ngati Manuhiri Today, our team marked the beginning of the Hauturu Rapid Response by laying a karakia over the area, and we will lead the attack on Caulerpa at Hauturu to eliminate this pest from our rohe moana. Patches of the invasive seaweed Exotic Caulerpa have been located at three sites off the North-East coast of Te Hauturu-o-Toi (Little Barrier Island). Nicola Rata-MacDonald, Chief Executive of the Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust, says the discovery of caulerpa at Hauturu is yet another indication that Te Moananui-a-toi (the Hauraki Gulf) is under threat, and is in need of urgent restorative action. 'Hauturu is one of the most significant conservation areas in the world—New Zealand's first ever nature reserve—and decisive action is needed to protect this taonga.' Nicola says. 'Today, our team marked the beginning of the Hauturu Rapid Response by laying a karakia over the area, and we will lead the attack on Caulerpa at Hauturu to eliminate this pest from our rohe moana. 'Our work with officials has shown that swift operational action is not hindered by a culturally informed response—it has been Ngāti Manuhiri pushing for action since this incursion was first discovered at Hauturu.' Despite claims that Caulerpa cannot be eradicated, the Trust successfully removed an infestation at Omaha Cove in Leigh in June 2024—the first and only instance of this happening in New Zealand. Ms Rata-MacDonald says that time is of the essence to ensure a successful response. 'While the patch of caulerpa we managed to eradicate at Leigh was small, we were successful because we didn't wait for it to spread and get out of hand.' Nicola says. 'Our kaitiaki responded immediately to treat the infestation, in partnership with Te Kaunihera o Tamaki Makaurau and supported by the University of Auckland, showing that if treated with the urgency that any biosecurity incursion deserves, we can get on top of this invasive pest. 'We cannot continue to treat caulerpa as a case study, it must be confronted with action which recognises the existential threat to our moana that it is. That's what our team will be doing over the coming days.' Recent comments from the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries confirming the Government will not take action to prevent bottom trawling in the Gulf has alarmed the Trust, who say that trawling will only help to spread exotic caulerpa further throughout the Gulf. 'Almost three-quarters of the Hauraki Gulf is open to bottom trawling and Danish seining – a destructive fishing method where weighted nets are dragged along the seafloor, ripping up everything in their path.' Nicola says. 'Caulerpa is already spreading throughout the Gulf, and allowing bottom trawling to continue only increases the risk of fragmentation and further spreading of this invasive seaweed. 'We are under siege from this pest, and rather than committing the investment needed to remove and eliminate exotic caulerpa, the Minister has confirmed the Government will only make it easier to destroy our benthic habitats, whether with nets or with weeds. 'We're calling on the Government to protect the Gulf by banning bottom trawling, investing in the eradication of exotic caulerpa, and urgently progressing the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill —without amendment—to ensure we can restore the waiora and mauri of the Gulf.' NOTES: Exotic Caulerpa was first detected at Hauturu on 6 May 2025 at the following sites: Site 1 – The Queen South (-36.1727, 175.1082) Site 2 – Waimaomao Bay (-36.1677, 175.0968) Site 3 – Waimaomao Bay (-36.1693451, 175.0952474) About Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust is the post settlement governance entity (PSGE) responsible for representing the Ngāti Manuhiri hapū and iwi members, giving effect to the Ngāti Manuhiri Claims Settlement Act 2012. Established in 2011, the Trust is committed to ensuring a prosperous future for Ngāti Manuhiri whānau. Our rohe, moana, and interests are across Te Moananui-ā-Toi including the inner and outer islands and rocky outcrops from Aotea, to Te Paepae o Tu, to Hauturu, and Takapuna. Te Moananui-ā-Toi is the greater oceans encompassing the Hauraki Gulf and Hauraki marine park and so, we refer to the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana as Te Moananui-ā-Toi. The Trust's work centres on the protection of the taiao, reinvigoration of community purpose and service, maintenance of cultural integrity and investing to support the economic prosperity of future generations. More information on Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust can be found at
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Science
- Scoop
Rapid Response Underway To Remove Invasive Seaweed Found Near Little Barrier Island
Patches of the invasive seaweed Exotic Caulerpa have been located at three sites off the North-East coast of Te Hauturu-o-Toi (Little Barrier Island). Nicola Rata-MacDonald, Chief Executive of the Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust, says the discovery of caulerpa at Hauturu is yet another indication that Te Moananui-a-toi (the Hauraki Gulf) is under threat, and is in need of urgent restorative action. "Hauturu is one of the most significant conservation areas in the world—New Zealand's first ever nature reserve—and decisive action is needed to protect this taonga.' Nicola says. 'Today, our team marked the beginning of the Hauturu Rapid Response by laying a karakia over the area, and we will lead the attack on Caulerpa at Hauturu to eliminate this pest from our rohe moana. 'Our work with officials has shown that swift operational action is not hindered by a culturally informed response—it has been Ngāti Manuhiri pushing for action since this incursion was first discovered at Hauturu.' Despite claims that Caulerpa cannot be eradicated, the Trust successfully removed an infestation at Omaha Cove in Leigh in June 2024—the first and only instance of this happening in New Zealand. Ms Rata-MacDonald says that time is of the essence to ensure a successful response. 'While the patch of caulerpa we managed to eradicate at Leigh was small, we were successful because we didn't wait for it to spread and get out of hand.' Nicola says. 'Our kaitiaki responded immediately to treat the infestation, in partnership with Te Kaunihera o Tamaki Makaurau and supported by the University of Auckland, showing that if treated with the urgency that any biosecurity incursion deserves, we can get on top of this invasive pest. 'We cannot continue to treat caulerpa as a case study, it must be confronted with action which recognises the existential threat to our moana that it is. That's what our team will be doing over the coming days.' Recent comments from the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries confirming the Government will not take action to prevent bottom trawling in the Gulf has alarmed the Trust, who say that trawling will only help to spread exotic caulerpa further throughout the Gulf. 'Almost three-quarters of the Hauraki Gulf is open to bottom trawling and Danish seining - a destructive fishing method where weighted nets are dragged along the seafloor, ripping up everything in their path.' Nicola says. 'Caulerpa is already spreading throughout the Gulf, and allowing bottom trawling to continue only increases the risk of fragmentation and further spreading of this invasive seaweed. 'We are under siege from this pest, and rather than committing the investment needed to remove and eliminate exotic caulerpa, the Minister has confirmed the Government will only make it easier to destroy our benthic habitats, whether with nets or with weeds. 'We're calling on the Government to protect the Gulf by banning bottom trawling, investing in the eradication of exotic caulerpa, and urgently progressing the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill —without amendment—to ensure we can restore the waiora and mauri of the Gulf.' Exotic Caulerpa was first detected at Hauturu on 6 May 2025 at the following sites: Site 1 - The Queen South (-36.1727, 175.1082) Site 2 - Waimaomao Bay (-36.1677, 175.0968) Site 3 - Waimaomao Bay (-36.1693451, 175.0952474) About Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust is the post settlement governance entity (PSGE) responsible for representing the Ngāti Manuhiri hapū and iwi members, giving effect to the Ngāti Manuhiri Claims Settlement Act 2012. Established in 2011, the Trust is committed to ensuring a prosperous future for Ngāti Manuhiri whānau. Our rohe, moana, and interests are across Te Moananui-ā-Toi including the inner and outer islands and rocky outcrops from Aotea, to Te Paepae o Tu, to Hauturu, and Takapuna. Te Moananui-ā-Toi is the greater oceans encompassing the Hauraki Gulf and Hauraki marine park and so, we refer to the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana as Te Moananui-ā-Toi. The Trust's work centres on the protection of the taiao, reinvigoration of community purpose and service, maintenance of cultural integrity and investing to support the economic prosperity of future generations. More information on Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust can be found at
The Spinoff
01-05-2025
- Health
- The Spinoff
Caulerpa is threatening two of NZ's most vital industries – why isn't it a national pest yet?
Despite the growing threat of caulerpa and its potential to decimate our marine and tourism industries, the government still hasn't classified it as a national pest. Following the barrage of cyclone Tam two weeks ago, hundreds of tonnes of caulerpa washed up on beaches near Rawhiti, on the far north east coast of the North Island. Recognising the need to respond quickly, local hapū Ngāti Kuta and Te Patukeha put out the call to the iwi of Te Tai Tokerau for urgent help. And the iwi responded, with dozens travelling from around the region to lend a hand with the removal of the invasive algae. Described as the 'cancer of the sea' and 'a national emergency', exotic caulerpa is a fast-growing green seaweed found in warm, shallow marine environments. Some species (like caulerpa brachypus, the exotic species in New Zealand) are invasive, spreading rapidly and outcompeting native marine life. Caulerpa can blanket the seabed, suffocating native species and altering ecosystems. Its rapid growth and resistance to grazing make it especially difficult to eradicate once established. 'The whole bay was smothered in it. It was heartbreaking,' said Viki Heta, one of the frontline responders, at a recent hui called to discuss the response of Te Tai Tokerau hapū to the caulerpa epidemic. Native to tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific, Indian Ocean, and parts of the Mediterranean, officials don't know exactly where or when the toxic, sticky green algae first entered New Zealand waters, but it is believed to have arrived on a vessel travelling from Australia or the Pacific. Despite being initially discovered on the west coast of Aotea in the outer Hauraki Gulf in July 2021, the Ministry for Primary Industries says the amount of caulerpa found in various locations around the North Island suggests it had already been here for several years. Currently, Caulerpa is known to be as far north as the Bay of Islands and as far south as Ahuahu island off the coast of the Coromandel peninsula. While Ngāti Wai are leading the fight against Caulerpa in the Hauraki and surrounds, the battle up north is a cross-iwi effort. In February this year, biosecurity minister Andrew Hoggard announced funding of $6.2m to assist with development of the technology to help control the spread of caulerpa. However, that only brings total government funding to approximately $15m over four years, compared to the $100m Northland Regional Council says is needed to tackle the issue.. The funding appears relatively miniscule next to the industry figures most at risk if caulerpa is not swiftly dealt with. The fishing industry is worth around $5.2 bn annually in economic output and the marine tourism industry is worth approximately $2.1 bn annually.. 'If we don't act now, we could lose our fisheries within a generation,' said hui organiser Nyree Manuel to the meeting of iwi and hapū leaders from Te Tai Tokerau. 'This is bigger than just one rohe – this is a threat to Aotearoa.' However, despite the efforts of iwi leaders such as Te Rūnanga o Te Rarawa chief executive George Riley to have caulerpa classified a national pest species – which would mean the government would have to develop and adequately resource a national pest management plan – caulerpa remains off the list and funding is still comparatively low next to the likes of kauri dieback. 'The response so far has been research-heavy and light on action,' said Jaycee Tapara, who's worked closely with hapū and biosecurity agencies. 'MPI keeps asking for more time, but caulerpa spreads by the tide – it doesn't wait.' Caulerpa continues to spread like a benthic wildfire, destroying anything in its path. While the events following Cyclone Tam spurred hapū from across Te Tai Tokerau into action, key figures behind the scenes recognised that a more organised and intentional plan was required if ongoing meaningful impact was to be achieved. This led to a hui being held late last week to discuss a joint Te Tai Tokerau caulerpa response plan. The hui was a gathering of heavy hitters from the north and beyond. Former Labour MP-turned-consultant Kelvin Davis was on the call, as were several iwi, hapū and marae leaders from throughout Te Tai Tokerau. Māori Crown relations minister Tama Potaka was also on the call, though he did not speak, despite several questions being asked about his government's perceived lack of meaningful action in this space. The hui established that a draft response plan with hapū-led roles, hygiene protocols and team structures was required; it called for urgent government support and iwi inclusion; and emphasised education, coordination and the need for national pest recognition of caulerpa. 'Our hapū and iwi are already organised,' said Te Aupōuri chief executive Tipene Kapa-Kingi. 'It's time for the government to catch up – and front up – with real resources. We're moving ahead with or without them.' Without urgent and meaningful government support, there are fears caulerpa will continue to wreak havoc on the seafloor and threaten an environment vital to two of the county's most prominent industries. Until then, iwi, hapū and community organisations continue to fight against the invasive pest with the few resources they do have. Unfortunately, without adequate resourcing and despite their best efforts, the fight may be in vain. 'The castings on the beach are just the tip,' said Riley. 'If we don't eradicate it underwater, we risk wiping out entire ecosystems – and the livelihoods that depend on them.' This is Public Interest Journalism funded by NZ On Air.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge finds manatee die-off proves Florida broke endangered species law
State biologists examine a manatee that starved to death during the big die-off. (Photo via FWC) Back in the 1990s, when I was on the criminal court beat, I sat through more murder trials than Perry Mason and Ben Matlock combined. Every case concerned a tragedy, but occasionally there were moments of comedy. One case involved two hitmen who were so inept, they got lost trying to find their target in St. Petersburg. They were so lost, they wound up in Tampa. There was another murder trial of sorts recently that involved inept killers. In April, it reached its startling conclusion. Criminal trials are always called 'The State v. The Alleged Killer.' Not this one. In this one, the state wasn't the prosecutor. It was the defendant. The case didn't involve just one death, either, but nearly 2,000. The victims did nothing to deserve their fate. They were manatees, and they starved to death because the seagrass they depend on for food was wiped out by the consequences of human pollution. The case was styled as Bear Warriors United v. Lambert. That's as in Alexis Lambert, whom Gov. Ron DeSantis recently appointed as secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Prot– well, you can't really say 'Protection,' can you? The agency utterly failed to protect the manatees. Because of the DEP's failure, a federal judge ruled on April 11 that the agency had violated the Endangered Species Act. Nobody shouted out 'Guilty, guilty, guilty!!' as in a famous 'Doonesbury' cartoon, but they sure could have. 'In a state where it's so hard to ever win anything for the environment in court,' said Katrina Shadix, founder of Bear Warriors United, 'this is a big victory.' The question is: What happens next, in the penalty phase? 'We are going to be compelling the state of Florida to care about the Endangered Species Act,' predicted Jessica Blome, one of the attorneys who represented the Bear Warriors. The scene of the crime for these many manatee murders was the Indian River Lagoon, once considered the most biodiverse estuary in North America. The lagoon stretches for 156 miles along Florida's Atlantic coast. It was once blanketed with mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass. In those days, the lagoon boasted more than 600 species of fish and more than 300 kinds of birds, not to mention dolphins and manatees galore. 'The water used to be clear and the seagrass abundant,' said Peter Barile, a marine scientist who grew up near the shores of the Indian River Lagoon. 'Now the lagoon is dominated by harmful macroalgae.' He said one particularly bad species called 'Caulerpa' has taken over. What went wrong? For years, the state and local governments allowed pollution to flow into the lagoon, fueling a series of toxic algae blooms that killed nearly all of the seagrass. Leaky septic tanks were a major contributor to the blooms, according to Barile. It didn't have to be that way. In 2010, the Legislature passed a law requiring septic tank owners to get an inspection every five years to make sure they weren't polluting the state's waterways. But septic tank owners rebelled, and two years later legislators repealed the inspections — a move the sponsor of the repeal later conceded was a mistake. Once the algae blooms wiped out their seagrass, the manatees suffered, especially when the weather turned cold and they sought refuge in the warmth of the lagoon. That's how hundreds of manatees became malnourished. The starvation situation grew so dire, biologists began tossing lettuce out for the hungry manatees to feed on — an unprecedented step. Despite multiple warnings about what would happen if the seagrass disappeared, Barile said, 'the state let things go on for decades and let builders and the septic tank industry continue dumping waste, and we got a Sewage Apocalypse.' One of the people issuing those warnings over the years was Barile. Among his many attempts to convince decision-makers to do something, he met with a gubernatorial candidate named Ron DeSantis in 2018. The candidate seemed open to what Barile was saying. He definitely grasped who would gain from reining in the pollution and promised to fix it. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'If you're doing this right and you're solving the problem, the community stands to reap benefits far in excess of that because you're talking about the fishing industry, you're talking about tourism, you're talking about property values,' DeSantis said at the time. Then, after he was elected, the governor opted NOT to solve the problem. DeSantis did convene a panel of respected scientists to recommend ways to prevent toxic algae blooms. But when they turned in their recommendations, he ignored nearly all of them. Instead, he hired an Israeli company to dump a hydrogen peroxide mixture into our waterways to chase the blooms away temporarily. But the algae keep coming back because he didn't do anything to stop the pollution that fuels it. Not even after the manatees started dying. In most of the murder cases I covered, the accused presented what attorneys call the 'SODDI defense.' That's short for 'Some Other Dude Did It.' Similarly, the DEP's defense in this suit was: Hey, this wasn't OUR fault. While the death of so many manatees was 'undeniably tragic,' DEP communications director Alexandra Kuchta said in an emailed statement to me this week, 'the state of Florida has responded with unprecedented investments to improve water quality and restore habitats, especially in critical ecosystems like the Indian River Lagoon.' In court, 'their argument was, 'We complied with the Clean Water Act, therefore we are immune from being found to have violated the Endangered Species Act,' Blome told me. To me, that's like saying, 'I was obeying the speed limit when I ran over that pedestrian, so I can't possibly be held responsible for the tire marks on his face.' One doesn't have anything to do with the other. U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza apparently felt the same way. 'Compliance with the Clean Water Act … is just one piece of the regulatory puzzle the state must solve,' he wrote in his 21-page order. Manatees were dying because of the consequences of the pollution the DEP allowed to flow into the lagoon. That's why, even though its actions may comply with the Clean Water Act, the DEP has repeatedly violated the Endangered Species Act's protection of that threatened marine mammal, the judge ruled. Don't assume the judge was a pushover for environmental groups. Just last year, he rejected a lawsuit filed by the Save the Manatee Club and its allies that attacked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the DEP for setting inadequate standards for water quality. The Endangered Species Act legal argument was a novel one, Shadix told me, but it proved effective. The DEP's attorneys apparently didn't know how to counter the Bear Warriors complaint. They failed to call as a witness any scientists like Barile to testify, Blome told me. Instead, they called DEP regulators to talk about their water quality rules and enforcement, both of which have proven to be inadequate. In fact, they conceded that, with the DEP's current level of cleanup efforts, restoring the lagoon's seagrass beds would likely take another 12 to 17 years. That's a loooooong time to put up with dirty water, repeated algae blooms, and manatees going hungry (and dolphins too). It sounds to me like DEP missed the point of the case. At one point during the hearing, Blome told me, the lead attorney for the DEP stood up waving a letter and dramatically announced that the manatee die-off had officially ended. The judge didn't think much of that move. 'Defendant believed this letter was a proverbial smoking gun establishing that manatee takings were no longer occurring,' he wrote. 'But even assuming the [die-off] has ended, that would not move the needle in FDEP's favor.' That's because the conditions that caused the die-off haven't changed much. There was a previous manatee die-off in 2013, and there could be another one this year or next or some other time before full seagrass restoration. 'Is there an ongoing risk of manatee takings in the northern Indian River Lagoon?' the judge wrote. 'The answer is clearly yes.' Meanwhile, the lack of seagrass beds has affected everything from the manatees' reproduction rate to their feeding behavior — another violation of the Endangered Species Act, which forbids humans from altering either one. As for the DEP's bragging about its recent efforts to clean up the lagoon at last, the judge noted that those efforts were 'perhaps not so much admirable as legally required.' I'd like to point out that Florida had a hand in creating the law that the DEP violated. A major co-author of the Endangered Species Act was a Florida man named Nathaniel Reed — a Republican, I might add. Reed was a birder and a butterfly collector, and he loved fishing so much his mother joked he emerged from the womb with a fly rod in his hands. The first endangered species list included quite a few Florida animals, including not just the manatee but also the panther, Key deer, and alligator. The alligators have bounced back so strongly that they're now in every single body of water larger than a mud puddle. That proves that listing a species as endangered doesn't have to be the final word on their future. With hard work and planning, some species can be restored. But this case marks the second Endangered Species Act case in the last two years that showed Florida officials under DeSantis haven't been taking the law seriously. Last year, U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss ruled that the DEP was doing an end-run around the act to speed up issuing permits for developers to wipe out wetlands. The judge ordered the DEP to stop issuing those permits, in effect halting a lot of wetlands-destroying development all over the state. That includes a pair of new 'towns' in Lee and Collier Counties expected to generate so much traffic they're likely to kill off our recovering panther population. In that case, the DEP's defense was to say, basically, that they broke the law because protecting endangered critters is reeeeeeally haaaaaaard. Imagine a teenager complaining about homework and you've got the right tone. ''It's hard' is NOT a reason to not comply with federal law,' an Earthjustice attorney told me after the judge's ruling, enunciating what I think is one of the bedrock principles of the law. The DEP is appealing that case, and my guess is that it will wind up appealing this decision as well. Our state officials would rather keep arguing than admit that they disregarded the death of an iconic Florida animal in favor of helping big-money campaign donors keep fouling our waterways. By the end of this week, Bear Warriors United is scheduled to submit to the judge its proposed punishment for the DEP. Shadix and Blome told me they're considering asking the agency be required to spell out how it's going to speed up cleaning the lagoon and regrowing the seagrass. If I were the judge, I'd make the penalty even tougher. I would require that everyone from DeSantis on down to the lowliest bureaucrat to march down and line up next to the lagoon. Then I would require each and every one of them to issue a public apology for not fixing this problem sooner. Then, to really bring it home to them, I'd require them to do the apology right at lunchtime, and tell them they weren't allowed to eat anything for the next six hours. I don't want this punishment to seem cruel and unusual, but I think making them feel a little of the desperation of the dying manatees would go a long way toward doing justice. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
