Tag Archives: Biscayne Bay
The ghost trap problem in Biscayne Bay
Beneath the glittering surface of Biscayne Bay, a menace lurks, wiping out fragile sea grass habitat, catching and killing as brutally, efficiently and indiscriminately as any monster from the deep: ghost traps. What goes inside the abandoned or lost traps stays inside — crabs left to cannibalize each other, baby lobster and fish too disoriented to escape. Heavy-grade plastic crab traps can even outlive their owners. “Just because someone’s not actually fishing a trap, it doesn’t mean the trap isn’t fishing,” said John Ricisak, a Miami-Dade County environmental resources project supervisor who heads county removal efforts. Ghost traps are so ubiquitous it’s hard to know how many exist. A 2013 study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimated more than 1.1 million ghost and derelict traps litter the Florida Keys. Read the rest here 19:29
The Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant is leaking radiation contamination into Biscayne Bay
Wednesday’s news of radiation contamination emanating from the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant leaking into Biscayne Bay alarmed Florida Keys citizens on every level. First, the Keys drinking water comes from the same neighborhood as the plant. Second, the affect to the fishery — so close to home waters — could also have an enormous impact. Florida Keys Commercial Fishing Association’s Bill Kelly said he called on Nick Wiley, the director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, to study the problem on Wednesday. “We need to test the lobster, shellfish and finfish in Biscayne Bay,” Kelly said. “We need to know if there’s any concern about public consumption of any of those products collected in that area.” Read the rest here 09:20
Field Hearing Highlights Draconian Rejection of Science, Local Stakeholder Input with National Park Service’s Plan for Biscayne Bay
Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources and the House Small Business Committee held a joint field hearing in Homestead, Florida, on the National Park Service’s (NPS) General Management Plan (GMP) for Biscayne National Park released in June 2015. The GMP, which includes a Marine Reserve Zone (MRZ) that would be closed to all commercial and recreational fishing, conflicts with the position of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the recommendations of the park’s own stakeholder working group. Read the rest here 16:06
