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Biscayne Bay: Saving our Blue Backyard

Why Biscayne Bay is so important

People in southeast Florida are so lucky to have Biscayne Bay as their collective backyard. We have a responsibility to care for the Bay, which supports our economy, provides critical wildlife habitat, and is a big part of what makes life in Miami special.

Biscayne Bay supports incredible biodiversity in its mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and coral reefs. More than 30 threatened species call Biscayne Bay home, including the Endangered smalltooth sawfish. The Bay is also critical habitat for more than 100 species important to recreational and commercial fisheries, including spiny lobster and stone crab.

All of these ecosystems are fighting for survival in the shadow of Miami, which relies on the Bay to generate $6 billion in direct income (10% of income in the county) each year, and to provide more than half a billion dollars in annual tax revenue.
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16.5 million people visited Miami-Dade in 2018 and our beaches were the most popular attraction. © Julia Wester
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Our research has recently identified Biscayne Bay as a nursery for juvenile great hammerheads (Sphyrna mokarran). © Julia Wester
Key threats and how to help

The population of Miami-Dade County doubled between 1970 and 2020, far outpacing growth in the rest of the US. The increasing impacts of development have threatened Biscayne Bay ecosystems with collapse in recent years.

Fixing these problems will demand both individual actions (listed below under "What YOU can do") as well as collective policy action and civic engagement (listed under "What WE can do").

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Many fish and invertebrate species spend some part of their life cycle in mangrove habitat. © Cliff Hawkins
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Seagrass beds are sensitive to water quality changes. Here a yellow ray (Urobatis jamaicensis) swims past. © Cliff Hawkins

1. Stormwater runoff

Heavy rains in Miami, which are common in summer, wash nutrients, debris and pollution directly into Biscayne Bay. Pollution in stormwater often comes from human and pet waste, lawn fertilizers and pesticides. Especially combined with high water temperatures, fertilizers and waste contribute to harmful or toxic algal blooms, which can deplete oxygen and lead to die-offs of fish and other marine life. 

What YOU can do:
  • Pick up and properly dispose of pet waste.
  • Reduce or eliminate fertilizer use on your lawn, particularly in summer.
  • Learn about current fertilizer ordinances in Miami-Dade County.
  • Landscape with Florida-native plants that can thrive without pesticides or fertilizers and support native wildlife!

What WE can do:
  • Encourage local representatives to make rules improving enforcement and oversight of pollution in the Bay and sale of fertilizers during the times they can do the most harm to the health of the Bay.
  • Ask planners to include natural buffers like wetlands, green spaces, and living shorelines in city planning and development, to naturally slow and filter stormwater before it reaches the Bay.​
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A typical summer downpour over downtown Miami. © Field School
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The marine life in Biscayne Bay ranges from small invertebrates to large marine mammals like these bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), all right next to the developed coastline. © Field School

2. Sewage and septic pollution

​Aging water treatment infrastructure and septic tanks are a major threat to water quality in the Bay. As sea level rises, the soil filtration layer separating septic tanks from groundwater is shrinking, allowing human waste to pollute Biscayne Bay and our drinking water. We need to upgrade our water system to prevent leaks and spills, and avoid their consequences—including harmful algal bloom and dangerous e. coli contamination, which can lead to beach closures and illness.

What YOU can do:
  • Conserve water at work and home in order to reduce the amount of water that needs treatment and ends up in ocean outfalls.
  • If you own a home on septic, explore options to switch to a sewer connection. City, county and state governments sometimes offer grants and incentive programs to help with the costs of switching or upgrading systems.
  • If you cannot switch from your septic tank for financial reasons, make sure your tank is regularly inspected and functioning properly.

What WE can do:
  • Switching from septic to sewer and upgrading water treatment infrastructure is costly, but the costs of failing to act are higher. Making the necessary investments will require collective action and political will.
  • Encourage county and city representatives to prioritize these upgrades in the 2020 budget.
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From dense downtown and the port, to coastal suburbs and public beaches, the coastline encircling Biscayne Bay is home to multiple, competing uses. © Julia Wester
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Most of our tropical marine ecology research occurs within one mile of the developed coastline of Miami. Here a juvenile nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) was caught and released after a quick scientific work-up. © Julia Wester

3. Plastic pollution and marine debris

Our research team encounters plastic and marine debris every day on the water. Debris accumulates in the roots of mangroves, endangering critical nursery habitat for reef fish and other marine life. 

What YOU can do:
  • Reduce your reliance on single-use plastics like grocery bags, water bottles, utensils, and straws. 
  • Look for alternatives to balloons for celebrations, as these can easily escape and end up in the ocean.
  • Participate in beach, marine, and coastal clean-up events or organize your own. 

What WE can do:
  • Encourage city and county officials to improve the recycling systems in the county to improve sustainability
  • Ask our leaders to install gratings on all stormwater drains, to help prevent debris from entering waterways during heavy rains. ​
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Captain Nick frowns after pulling a large bunch of birthday balloons out of Biscayne Bay. © Jake Jerome
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A team of volunteers celebrates after pulling several bags of trash out of mangroves along the bay. © Diego Espinosa

4. Physical damage to habitats

Biscayne Bay habitats are also damaged directly through human activities. Propellers and anchors can damage seagrass beds and coral reefs, and trimming or illegal removal of mangroves may destroy vital habitat. Species in these ecosystems are often slow-growing, and can take decades to recover from damage that may only take a few seconds or minutes to inflict. 

What YOU can do:
  • Practice eco-friendly boating: observe no wake zones and channels to avoid running aground in hard-to-spot shallow seagrass areas. Use mooring balls when near reef sites to avoid damage to coral reefs. 
  • When snorkeling or scuba diving on coral reefs, be aware of your surroundings and avoid stepping on or kicking the bottom with your fins.
  • Avoid trimming mangroves where possible and follow permitting guidelines and best practices. Red mangroves in particular are sensitive to trimming that removes the top layer of leaves and may not recover at all. 
​
What WE can do:
  • Encourage and contribute to coastal restoration efforts of seagrass, mangrove, and coral reef habitat.
  • Encourage improved enforcement of existing boating and trimming regulation. ​​
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A mooring line safely secures vessels to the bottom near reefs without threatening coral with anchor damage. © Field School
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A large prop scar is visible through a seagrass bed near downtown Miami and Virginia Key. © Nick Perni

5. Fishing pressures

Legal commercial and recreational fishing is allowed throughout Biscayne Bay, including in Biscayne National Park. Fishing impacts populations through the removal of targeted species, the unintended capture of non-target species (“bycatch”), and when animals die even when released alive. 

What YOU can do:
  • When fishing, follow regulations including size and bag limits, and release requirements for protected species.
  • When catch-and-release fishing, remove hooks and line while minimizing handling and air exposure.
  • Use circle rather than J-style hooks, which reduces foul hooking and mortality, and choose gear that will rust or degrade if it cannot be removed (e.g., non-stainless steel).

What WE can do:
  • Support area closures in Biscayne National Park to fishing pressure.
  • Encourage programs that would remove derelict fishing gear from the bay which can entangle and kill marine life. ​​
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We frequently remove recreational fishing gear from sharks caught as part of our research program. © Field School
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Animals can suffer serious injury when entangled in fishing gear that is not removed or left in the ocean. © Julia Wester

Final steps and staying involved:

The health of Biscayne Bay depends on our continued and collective commitment to reduce our impact and protect these vital ecosystems that provide so much to our community. In addition to the above, it is important to stay informed and involved. ​
  • Several great organizations are working tirelessly on this issue including Miami Waterkeepers, Debris Free Oceans, Rescue a Reef, and Miami Surfrider. Follow and support these efforts as you are able.

If you would like to learn more some resources are linked here:
  • Miami-Dade Grand Jury report on Biscayne Bay collapse.
  • Biscayne Bay semi-annual Marine Health Summit website.
  • NOAA's Biscayne Bay Habitat Blueprint.
  • Miami-Dade Biscayne Bay Task Force.
  • Economic evaluation of Biscayne Bay by Miami Waterkeepers.
​
  • Home
  • Our Team
  • Our Mission
  • Research and Conservation
    • Biscayne Bay
  • Education and Empowerment
    • Classroom resources
    • Minorities in Shark Science (MISS)
    • Fellowship
    • Drag n' Tag
  • Contact