The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tentatively announced plans to conduct a study on fishing guides to find out whether algal blooms on Lake Okeechobee are related to any health issues.

The CDC plans to recruit about 50 fishing guides and charter boat captains to study any potential health effects of long-term exposure to the algae in the big lake. Jenny Birchfield at the CDC confirmed the plans for the study, but added the CDC does not have any specifics yet about the dates of the study or how they will recruit study volunteers.

“At this time, it’s in the early planning stages,” she explained.

Mike Krause at Okeechobee Fishing Headquarters said the premise of the study is puzzling. While algae is naturally part of the lake’s ecosystem, the algae on the lake is not producing toxins, he pointed out.

He said he knows people who have been fishing Lake Okeechobee for 50 years who have no health issues.