FLORIDA WATER QUALITY
Alteration of freshwater flows into estuaries negatively impacts Florida’s fisheries. It does this in three ways:
Immediate Death
Changes in freshwater flows – the amount, the timing, and the location – kills seagrasses, oysters and other shellfish, and kills or displaces small organisms like fish and shrimp that are gamefish prey. This happens even if the water is pristine – this is because these impacts are due to changes in salinity (the salt content in the water) caused by these altered flows. When gamefish have less to eat and fewer habitats to hide, their health, survival and abundance decline.
Legacy
Too many nutrients entering coastal waters cause plankton and algae blooms the shade light from seagrasses, which kills the seagrasses. The algae that grows on the bottom also smothers oysters and other bottom organisms. When the plankton and algae die, their decomposition consumes all of the oxygen in the water, which causes fish kills. And when the algae decomposes, it releases all of those nutrients back into the water, which causes more algae blooms. The legacy of nutrient pollution can last for years.
Contamination
Stormwater runoff into estuaries contains the remnants of herbicides and pesticides that are used on lawns, in agriculture, on golf courses. These contaminants remain in the ecosystem for long periods of time, and cause health issues for gamefish and their prey.
SWEETWATER
A film by Spencer Miller
Talented documentary filmmakers weave complex issues into stories you can’t look away from. Spencer Miller does even more with Sweetwater: He tells a deeply personal, sad, and ultimately hopeful story about the decline of South Florida’s waterways and the fight to recover them.
FLORIDA WATER QUALITY UPDATES
Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go Back In The Water…
CLICK HERE TO BECOME A BULLSUGAR.ORG MEMBER A visit to [...]
Water Quality Standards Needed to Protect Coastal Estuaries
ABOVE: Recent capture of a widespread bloom in Lake [...]
Fix the FLO
The following article is set to appear in the April [...]
Florida Sportsman Guest Post: No and Bad
The following article is set to appear in the April [...]
TOGETHER, LET’S ACT!
The science is settled. The time to fix the problem is now.
There is strength and solidarity in numbers. Support Bullsugar.org today to show Florida elected officials that we stand together for a unified solution.
JOIN US – 338k STRONG!
Sign up for Bullsugar emails to learn about environmental action opportunities in your area.