MIAMI (WSVN) - Researchers have taken water samples from Biscayne Bay days after thousands of dead fish were found floating in the water.
Christopher Boykin, of Pelican Harbor Seabird Station, could be seen pumping oxygen into the water on Thursday.
“I’ve seen fish die to a certain extent but not to this extent,” Boykin said. “You know, you hear the stories from the old timers of Biscayne Bay when it was crystal clear, and there was fish everywhere. We do have some pumps going into the water, so we oxygenated the water a little, and Frost Science came out with some 100% oxygen tanks.”
Fish kills are a common occurrence during the summer, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said. When the water becomes very hot, oxygen levels drop, causing the fish to die.
As of Thursday, FWC does not believe the fish kill is related to human activity.
According to the Miami Waterkeeper, they suspect something else is to blame for the fish kill.
“This was really widespread, and it wasn’t something that these fish could escape,” Rachel Silverstein, Miami Waterkeeper’s Executive Director, said. “Storm water, septic tanks, sewage leaks and fertilizers all getting into the water, causing an overgrowth of algae that’s sucking up all the oxygen in the water and not leaving enough for the fish.”
Ana Zangroniz is a researcher with the University of Florida. She believes the fish kill is a result of warm water, but she suspects other factors, such as sewage, may be involved.
“What this seems to be is perhaps a combination, or culmination, of a variety of stressors — sewage inputs, fertilizers, pesticides,” she said.
She took water samples to help pinpoint an exact cause, and she is waiting for the results.
“We are at the tipping point that something bad is going to happen in Biscayne Bay if we keep putting contamination and pollution into the water,” Silverstein said. “This is it. This is what we’re seeing now.”
Water readings from Miami Waterkeeper has oxygen levels in the bay at 0% overnight Friday.
At the same time, others have taken action to help protect the sea life.
SENDITFORTHESEA, a local advocate group promoting environmental education, is posting videos on social media documenting the dozens of dead marine life in the bay.
“Once all this oxygen is gone, these all might move somewhere else, or if they can’t go anywhere else, they’re going to die right here,” Theo Quenne said in the video. “We need to make change, and we need action now.”
Mike Rivas went fishing out of North Bay Village on Thursday. He saw animals in distress and felt compelled to help, so he grabbed as many as he could and moved them to a safer location.
“We’re going to release them there inside the bay, where they can have fresh water, and maybe they can have a chance to survive,” he said.
FWC said reports of fish kills have been coming in throughout the week, so they also collected water samples. They are awaiting the results of those samples.
Miami Waterkeeper is advising people to avoid fishing or swimming in parts of Biscayne Bay that has dead fish.
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