Ellis Dosher and Robert Bullard
A History of Red Tide events on the West Coast of Florida
This collection was created during the 2017-2018 red tide event that had major ecosystem impacts on the west coast of Florida. Fish harvesters and related businesses suffered major setbacks during this time. Fishers, with a long history on the water and oftentimes second or third generation involved in the fishing business, reminisce about how the ecosystem has changed during their and their families time and the red tides they have witnessed. The collection provides information on species affected, specific areas affected, as well as discussions related to adaptation behaviors and specific business impacts.
Molly Graham
Robert Bullard and Ellis Dosher are both fishers from Florida. Born and raised on the east coast of Florida.
Scope and Content Note
Bullard and Dosher describe learning to fish at a very young age, continuing through their teens, and eventually starting their own gag grouper fishing business. They also refer to the fishing gear they use, fishing grounds, vessels, and the fishing community in eastern Florida.
Bullard recalls he used to catch several thousand pounds of gag grouper in the 45 to 70-foot depth in the late 1970s through the early 2000s, while Dosher caught red grouper in the 60-90 foot depth and took over a fishing operation in 1992. During the 2002 red tide event, both men describe seeing dead fish from their typical fishing grounds to the mouth of a river, and Bullard’s daily catch dwindled to less than 500 pounds. They also describe seeing bait fish jumping out of the water, turtles acting abnormally, and the waters looking like they were blanketed by yellow tree pollen.
Bullard recalls that the red tide event of 1985 completely wiped out the fish in a 10-mile area, and that it did not recover until 2013. The 2014 red tide event lasted 1 week in which they could not catch a single fish. Bullard and Dosher speculate on why the 2014 event was far more severe based on what they witnessed: dead corals, rocks covered in green material, black water, and complete absence of bait fish. Both men recall that inexperienced fishermen or those without community connections were not able to survive.
Bullard and Dosher also shared their thoughts on what biologists can do to track the origin of the red tide. They add that the evidence is there but they have not had observers in over three years.
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