Ladies and gentlemen, we give you: The first blue-green algal bloom of 2025 (photo courtesy of the Ohana Surf Shop in Stuart).

Well, technically, the Florida DEP’s “Algal Bloom Dashboard” flags numerous blooms across the state; but one of those blue dots showed up last week in Martin County — recipient of billions of gallons of polluted Lake Okeechobee water in recent weeks due to discharges.

During warmer weather we’ve seen Lake O discharges trigger massive toxic algae blooms in both the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries, but theoretically it’s too cold for that now. Nonetheless, the bright green bloom in the Manatee Pocket area of Port Salerno last week was photographed by residents and then sampled by the DEP, which confirmed the presence of Microcystis aeruginosa, which can produce the toxins microcystin and cyanopeptolin, along with Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, which can be toxic or non-toxic.

All of which is a complex way of saying: Steer clear of the stuff.

We don’t and can’t know if the bloom is directly related to the discharges. Lord knows many water bodies throughout south Florida have enough algae-feeding nutrients even WITHOUT discharges. But discharges definitely supercharge nutrient loading; and nutrient-laden waters are a prime breeding ground for toxic algae.

This week’s cold snap should (hopefully) kill off the blooms in the Manatee Pocket. But as these discharges continue — if and when the weather warms — our estuaries and all who rely on them for business or pleasure are at risk.