Amid the worst red tide outbreak the area has seen in 50 years, the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club hosted a panel of local experts for an in-depth conversation on the crises afflicting bay area waters and beyond.
The luncheon on Friday marked the return of in-person events for the club following a year of meeting virtually. Held at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, the meeting was attended by local officials Senator Darryl Rouson, City Council Chair Ed Montanari, and Vice-Chair Gina Driscoll – whose district includes both the yacht club and areas of St. Pete that have been hit hard by red tide. They were joined by Tiger Bay members and guests to hear from some of the brightest minds on the subject.
The panel consisted of J.P. Brooker, Director of Florida Conservancy for the Ocean Conservancy, Dr. Kate Hubbard, research scientist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and Thomas Frazier, Dean of the College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida. Alison Barlow, Executive Director of the St. Pete Innovation District, moderated the discussion.
“You may not realize, these folks are rock stars nationally,” Barlow said of the panel. “They are well-known in their field, well-esteemed, and if you go to any conference in this field, they are swarmed with people that want to talk with them.”
Hubbard explained to the crowd that while the area has experienced red tide in six of the last 10 years, this year is unique due to the locations and concentrations of Karenia brevis – the organism that causes red tide. The harmful algal blooms are rarely found so far into Tampa Bay and not usually at such a high concentration.
The St. Petersburg Ocean Team is the premier consortium for marine science and related research, education and entrepreneurship in the Southeast. The Team is comprised of over 20 complementary firms, government entities, and institutions that are located near one another, many in the St. Pete Innovation District, that draw advantages from their proximity as well as the similarities between their workforce and vendor needs.
April’s Tech X-change was a hit, thanks to an engaging presentation from Digital Twin Marine. Shoutout to all the Eckerd College students who joined us! The audience was curious and interactive, asking great questions and eager to try out the virtual reality headset.
The District extends a warm congratulations to Natalia López Figueroa on earning her doctorate in Biological Oceanography from the University of South Florida. Natalia has made significant contributions to her community, particularly through her role as Chair of the Junior Scientist Program at the St. Pete Science Festival. We look forward to seeing her continued success.