A scientists with the University of South Florida Coastal Research Lab just recently took a gander at the Walton County beaches using a UV light and has commented they are “still contaminated” following the BP oil spill fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico.

A graduate student, Rip kirby, took a high-powered UV light over one length of the beach, and the light showed bits and areas all over the place of what he calls “accumulation of petroleum product and dispersant.” He issued a public apology for not getting around to taking the samples at an earlier date.

“This beach is just as contaminated as the rest, I’m sorry,” Kirby commenting, he added, “I took the local government officials’ word that these beaches were not impacted and stopped my testing in Destin.”

Joe Preston, the driector of Walton County Emergency Operations, saw fit to not return any of a multitude of calls from the papers. Cecilia Jones and Scott Brannon, Walton County Commissioners, also did not see fit to return calls. The Sheriff’s Office, surprise surprise, was also not attending to any questions on the matter.

Kirby, who dwells in the Fort Walton Beach area, and his team of colleagues from the USF have been digging deeper into the effects the spill has had on the local environment, and their findings were published in National Geographic this past July. However, the beaches were worse for wear, and Kirby stopped investigation because the officials said everything was fine..

So, who is trying to cover up for who here? What sort of scandal awaits? Only time will tell.. That is, if people see fit to answer their phones…

Connect to a piece of seaweed, were some fish eggs that are laid in Florida and the Caribbean catch a ride in the Gulf Stream to the coast line of Rhode Island. When they hatch they stand little to no chance to surviving as soon as the water cools down starting in th Fall. But a group of divers found them on an annual basis. For apporxmatley 25 years the New England Aquarium Dive Club has been doing this. In the Fall, about 200 divers were sent out to rescue as many juvenile fish as possible. Each year the fish that were rescued are donated to different aquariums and fish keepers.

With 70 people last year, the group caught their first lionfish. Usually the gruoup will catch 30 to 40 different fish. Butterflyfish are usually the most common kind found. This year the club was held in the conjunction. With there being warmer water, children and snorklers got involved as well. Al Bozza, the New England Aquarium Dive Club director, described this year’s rescue as a family event, and pointed to the education opportunity for children.

To read more about this get ahold of the Aquarium Fish International Janurary Issue.