I’ve got snow on my mind. So far this year, Washington D.C. has seen nearly 5 feet of snow and I have spent the past two weeks trudging, sliding, falling, stomping and shoveling my way through most of it.
The District of Columbia was certainly not the only place covered in fresh powder. In fact, a week ago Friday, every state (except Hawaii) experienced their own version of DC’s ‘snowpocalypse’, giving folks from Dallas to St. Paul the opportunity to trade notes on their snowy situations.
While these conditions are tough on humans, marine life is also greatly affected by these blustering winter storms. Here are some examples:
• The chill in Florida has been so much trouble for bonefish, tarpon and snook that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has prohibited the recreational harvest of bonefish and tarpon until the end of March and snook until the end of August.
• In January alone, over 4,500 sea turtles had to be rescued from Florida’s frigid waters.
• The New England Aquarium’s Marine Animal Rescue Team has received frequent reports of harp seals resting on ice floes because inlets and harbors are frozen over.
• According to The Washington Post, salt and chemical run off from rapidly melting snow could contribute to dead zones in the Chesapeake Bay. (Published February 13, 2010)
• In North Carolina, thirteen loggerhead sea turtles were rescued by a team from the Georgia Aquarium after exceptionally low water temperatures left them stranded on a beach on Ocracoke Island.
All of us at Oceana are hoping for an early spring and warmer temperatures. Keep your fingers crossed and in the meantime, stay warm out there!
Nautica has contributed to Oceana to support its mission to protect the world’s oceans.
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