Biscayne Bay reached its tipping point after years of chemical and plastic pollution. Soon it will be almost impossible to bring back the water quality.
Director of the Florida International University’s Institute of Environment Todd Crowl shares his concerns.
“It’s going to be very, very difficult to restore the seagrass beds because the bay is now so turbid,” he said. “There’s no light that gets down [to it]. Seagrass has to have light.”
Seagrass helps the ecosystem by serving as a food source and habitat for marine life, but fertilizers have been killing it and endangering one of Biscayne Bay’s critical habitats.
The Little River Canal is one of the main reasons for the health decline of Biscayne Bay. Part of it spills plastic pollution straight into the bay.
These issues are causing marine life to die and is unsafe for swimmers.
“We stopped swimming there, and the reason was that it was dangerous,” said Maria Alejandra Cardona. “Sometimes when we are swimming, water can get in our mouth. You can swallow it and with that much pollution and lack of filtration, it was just super unsafe.”
But there is still hope for restoration with the help of cleanup organizations such as Off the Hook Florida.
The president of Off the Hook Florida, Javier Gorgius, stated: “At the end of the day, it all starts with us. We as human beings need to start making decisions that implement a more sustainable future for all of us.”
