Florida Bay's Ecosystem on Brink of Collapse; Threatens Tourism

ISLAMORADA, Fla. — Boat captain Tad Burke looks out over Florida Bay and sees an ecosystem that's dying as politicians, land owners and environmentalists bicker.

He's been plying these waters for nearly 25 years, and has seen the declines in shrimp and lobster that use the bay as a nursery, and less of the coveted species like bonefish that draw recreational sportsmen from around the world.

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It's sad to see this happen to the animals over in fl.

Those politicans need to get off there butts

Alien Mind

reply to post by Alien Mind


Amen. But the day I see a politician spend less time bickering and more time doing I think I will die of a heart attack or from shock.

[edit on 9-8-2009 by Watcher-In-The-Shadows]

reply to post by Alien Mind


Maybe we should make those Recreational Sportsmen go fix it... since they're just making things worse.

That would be my plan.

Ecosystems are fragile. Someone throws off the balance and who knows what could happen. It could even *gasp* make things worse for humans! (Oh noes.)

[edit on 8/9/2009 by ravenshadow13]

Well when the politicians get involved they do it all backwards like limiting the catch of Red Snapper to two per person when it's extremely plentiful and then when they do make positive changes there are conflicting state and federal laws depending on how far out from the mainland it is. Either way this is a state problem and they are trying to address it by adding another month of off-season fishing in state waters.
It's gonna create a boondoggle though because they can still catch the fish in federal waters but they'll have to transport their catch through state waters... how do you prove where they catch it? Surveillance of course. Anyway, before I get off on a rant about how everyone takes an 'out of sight, out of mind' approach to conservation of our lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water I'd just like to say a month of not fishing won't do it. But tourism is much too important to take the drastic measures necessary... Goodbye bonefishing, one way or the other.

I lived in the area from the late seventies to the late eighties. I remember being towed by a boat with my mask and snorkel over miles of dead bottom. The bay was a virtual salt water desert then. The cause is not recreational fishermen and divers. It was caused by the runoff created by basically paving the everglades and by the pollution of the aquifer by industry. The Biscayne aquifer is a shallow underground river moving through the ancient porous limestone that forms the land from lower Ft. Lauderdale all the way to Key West. This "river" flows from Lake Okeechobee through the glades and "under Miami to the sea. On the way it absorbs all the fertilizer runoff of the sugarcane fields, the sewage from Pre- 1980's construction and all the underground fuel storage leaks from Miami Intl airport. It then gently deposits them into the bay where Fire coral and mangroves do their best to neutralize man's waste. Not a pretty site then and certainly not one now.