What's killing sawfish in the Lower Keys?

Some 17 endangered sawfish have turned up dead in the backcountry waters of the Lower Keys in recent months and no one knows what’s killing them. More than a dozen other species of fish have been seen behaving strangely — whirling, spinning and swimming upside down.

The only clue so far: elevated levels of ciguatera, a single-cell algae that grows naturally on reefs. Fish can safely eat it, though people who eat the fish can become sick. But scientists are now wondering if — or why — the naturally occurring toxin might suddenly be poisoning fish.

We’ll keep you posted on this. But while we don’t know the specific culprit, in a broader sense we know exactly why this is happening: It’s the result of the systemic pollution and mismanagement of our waterways. Clean water still doesn’t flow south in sufficient quantities; special interests like Big Sugar still call the shots; and all the pumps and pipes of new infrastructure projects like the EAA Reservoir won’t come online for years if not decades.

What will be left of Florida Bay by then?

For more on the story, visit our website at VoteWater.org.

More farm fertilizer could be the death knell

Meanwhile, the state’s proposed budget is likely to include $6 million for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences to conduct a study and determine fertilizer rate recommendations — but the study does not take into account the impact increased fertilizer use is likely to have on Florida’s waters.

Currently the research is designed to maximize yield; but we know agricultural pollution is a major source of water pollution (see our report from last year, “Big Ag’s big pollution is a big problem for Florida"). 

A coalition of 23 Florida conservation groups wrote to Florida Senate and House leaders to lay out concerns about the fertilizer study and other budget-related issues; as VoteWater Executive Director Gil Smart noted in an accompanying press release, “These new rules absolutely must take the impact on water quality into account, because if the regulations result in more nutrient runoff, it could be game over for Florida's fragile waterways."