Paradise Lost - The turquoise blue waters of the Florida Keys are gone. Is this the new reality?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ต.ค. 2024
- Take a depressing ride along with us through the increasingly dirty water of the Florida Keys. The number of fish kills the entire length of the Keys are exploding, visibility is gone - oh, and that smell! The excessively warm waters have increased the algae growth which is sucking the oxygen and life out of the bays and channels. Residents are beginning to wonder if this is the new normal for the Florida Keys.
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@MercuryMarine
I live in Ft Myers. The Caloosahatchee river comes from Lake Okeechobee. It is very polluted now, as the sugar plantations dump pollution into the lake and river. Bluegreen algee is very thick in Cape Coral canals. There is a huge plum of poluted water where the river dumps into thr Gulf. The naturral current take this water down the coast toward the Keys. Lots of $$ in suger.
@bobsmoot2392 - Thanks for sharing - its definitely not a Keys isolated problem. Plus our water temperatures have been way higher than normal. I note water temperatures every time I go out fishing - starting in June our water has been 4 degrees warmer than the average of the previous 5 years, that is a huge jump. Cudjoe Bay where I live has been in the 90's for over a month, its normally 87 this time of year, 12 - 15 miles out in the Atlantic the average has been 84, this year its been 87 to 88 every time I go out. Thanks for watching.
I agree. I live here too and it’s sad that politicians allow this to happen
@@stancrawford2147 Thanks for watching. Politicians have failed us on soo many levels on protecting our waters.
One of the saddest things I ever heard was talking to my ex-father in law, in his eighties at the time, whose family had owned the biggest seafood company in Biloxi, telling me that the Mississippi sound water was so clear you could see the bottom in fifteen feet of water when he was a kid. But, once all the oysters were gone, that kept the water clear, it didn't stay clear long. Go to the Bahamas, if you want to see what the water quality in the Florida Keys probably looked like a hundred years ago.
@ralphholiman7401 Thanks for watching. What happened in Biloxi is repeating itself down here. With the inshore coral reefs dying off entire ecosystems are disappearing. A lot of peoples livelihoods will be gone in a few years without some drastic changes.
Same thing in the Chesapeake bay. In the winter we used to be able to see the bottom in 20’ in the creeks. Now you’re lucky if you get 5’. Same reason…. No oysters
Yes, happened in the Indian River too. They wiped out all the oysters and clams in the mid to late ‘80s plus nearly all the grass/weed on the bottom.
Thanks for keeping us posted. Imo this is the most beautiful waters in the states. Ill stay positive hopping the beautiful waters will return.
@johneinsele1412
I drive the Overseas Highway to and from work every day, and my office sits on the Gulf. I am going to start posting what the water looks like daily on our Instagram account. Thanks for watching.
Sad, sad, sad. Have been going to the Lower Keys since '86. Have watched the decline in water quality all thru south Florida. Now it seems the accecerator is pushed to the floor of this declining situation. I pray it will get better. Thanks for your videos.
@keithgilliam4973 Thanks for watching, and yes its very sad. Its the main topic of conversation with the local communities here - everyone's lively hood revolves around our waters and its going bad fast!
I'm from Ft Myers in South Florida and I never remember seeing the water like that in the keys. I use to go every summer. It might have something to do with how they are blasting to restore the natural flow of the Everglades. Also there has been such a population explosion in Florida the excessive run off could be contributing. My Mom said when she was young here in the 40s, 50,s the Caloosahatchee and Ft Myers Beach were clear but for 30+ years the water has looked brown just like in your video. Thanks for sharing and I hope it clears up.
@davidwheeler7613 - Thanks for watching and commenting. The last month or so the water has been clearer than in the video, but the bottoms in many of the bays are coated with algae. The water in June/July is typically low to mid- 80's. I've been recording in the low 90's every day since mid June. The last few weeks, fishing 15 miles out, where is normally 83 this time of year I'm seeing 87 degrees. Its a huge jump.
Even the clarity at Fort Jeff is nothing like it used to be. Been Diving/Fishing the Keys since ‘69.
I'm looking forward to going out in a day or two to see if the storm "flushed" the goop out of the water this weekend. Thanks for watching!
Any educated guess as to why this is happening? The water quality is why we quit going down there. We went down there for probably close to 20 years straight, and when we decided to stop going you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Takes all the fun out of it. Each year, the water quality just kept getting worse. I think one of the main problems is the water coming down the state used to travel through the everglades, which in turn filtered and cleaned all the water. 'They' fixed that and decided we needed sugar cane and housing communities more and redirected the water elsewhere. And then the problems started. South Florida Water Management District and the Army Core of Engineers are working on fixing this problem, but it will take a lifetime to get it back to somewhat of a working system.
@Mike-hb4pc Thanks for watching! You hit the nail on the head on so many fronts and almost word for word what I heard from the marine/coral lab here. That couple with the way above water temperatures had really exacerbated the problems we are seeing.
Thanks for the update. Water temps off American Shoals Light are hovering around 88 to 90 degrees on the surface out to 200 feet. As far as we went Thurs. Summerland Cove is very bad too with one to two feet of visibility. Mullet are still pretty thick though.
Hoping the storms give the bays a good flush!
Hey buddy! Do you think it will clear up by next month?
I will keep you posted. The water around Key West looked pretty good, but by the time I got up around the Saddlebunch Keys and Sugarloaf it was bad. The water in our bay (Cudjoe) is still a soupy brown. I drove up to Big Pine, same thing. I'm heading out deep dropping this week, I'll get to see how far out it goes.
I'm going to Big Pine Key the 15th-17th. I really hope it clears up for my first time lobster diving. Thanks for communicating back. I really enjoy your channel. Very informative
Pray all you want. Action is the only thing that will help prevent it in the future. Counting on storm systems to flush the bay is pretty lame. It's only going to get worse every year. Raritan Bay in NJ has the same problem and I suspect every body of salt water will be having blooms and fish kills more frequently.
@williamfilce5329 Thanks for watching. You're 100% right, action is needed, and needed now. I teach a US Government course here at the college, in addition to several business classes. My students are locals whose future jobs, and their family businesses rely on clean/clear water. They are actively looking at laws they can propose to have the most immediate impact. As for Raritan Bay, I know it well. I grew up on the beach in Central NJ and our family boat was kept on the Shrewsbury River which was our access to the ocean around Sandy Hook. My dad launched the Marine Science and Technology Academy at Sandy Hook, I spent a lot of time fish the East end of the Raritan Bay.
🌴 So my estimated guess is , that there has been a lot of polluted water from the cities waste water treatment sites releasing dirty water into our ocean Tampa bay has always been dingee but one of the things is the increase of people moving to Florida and water treatment sites can’t keep up with the human waste produced and the exceptionally warm weather has created that big problem , look into how many people have moved to southern Florida in the last 5 yrs , that combined with more people more homes ,more homes more fertilizer and run off , until things are cleaned up on land our waters won’t be safe ,
@davescheer5038 Thanks for watching - its is definitely not going to be solved quickly. There are too many layers to the current problem.
Isnt it always like this in the summer?
@miamiwax5504 As always, thanks for watching!! July and August we do typically get some bad viz days, but this is unlike anyone down here has seen before. After some really heavy rains and storms we get lots of runoff from what little land we have plus turbulent water stirring things up, but that settles down in a day or two. On top of that an occasional algae or seaweed bloom that causes a die off, but those too are typically short lived. This has been going on almost all summer and it is really wide spread. The water in the bays is completely brown, and thick and spreading. Hopefully good news soon!
What is causing the foam that is killing the fish and water clarity? Is it the heat? Agricultural runoff? I was down there in July, luckily it was just beautiful and tons of fish. Hopefully it clears up soon! Thanks for the report and let us all take care of our beautiful oceans and waterways.
@Jeffhuebner Thanks for watching. I am not a marine biologist, but I stopped by the marine/coral lab here late last week. It is a combination of all of those factors. First and foremost the unrelenting heat we have had down here all summer, the Everglades not being able to filter agricultural runoff they way it used to be able to do . . . The foam is from the algae releasing carbon back into the water in the form of bubbly sugary extracts. (they told me the term for the process, but I'd just be guessing right now to come up with the process name)
Everything he said and add a much bigger population than a couple decades ago and everyone wanting their lawns to look like golf courses. It rains and all that lawn fertilizer is runoff and makes the water nutrient rich and algae feeds on it. The algae feeds on it multiplying til it starves the water of oxygen. The lack of oxygen kills the fish and the dead fish are now adding more nutrients to the water. What isn't consumed by algae falls to the bottom as well as the algae that dies falls to the bottom, creating a nutrient rich silt. If it gets stirred up in the shallows by storms, boats, jetskis, ect it's back in the mix with all the nutrients that are continually being fed. It's a cycle. A cycle that won't be stopped until it's legislated. I hate inviting govt or restricting people but we live in a balanced system. We need to restore the flow of the Everglades, ban fertilizers, restore and protect oyster beds, and mangroves across the whole state. The entire system is connected.
After waiting for my reservation at Bahia Honda for 12 months, I'm due to arrive tomorrow(8-21-2023). They've just issued a NO SWIM warning for the Atlantic side of the park....bacteria.
Oh nooooo! I just talked with my neighbor. How as out at the Content Keys early yesterday. The water clarity was good, not perfect, but good. Everyone on his boat got their limit of lobster. So, if you can get as close to the Gulf as you can. Safe travels!
I was out op yesterday and the back bay between the gulf and ocean were crystal clear but it got all murky s few days ago from the storm that blew through at about 60 mph . It churns up the coral dust and the African sands from Moroccan coast
I heard the water Friday evening around the Content Keys was clearish, not crystal but pretty good. Thanks for watching.
I witnessed something similar as a kid. Pollution and fertilizer. My home waters are back now after real crackdowns
@coldspring624 I'm afraid it is going to take some real hard crackdowns to fix this problem. Thanks for watching!
Come on, I was in keywest in May clear blue water no dead fish caught 5 tarpon even doubled up with my charter captain .we fished inshore too.
@shansanders2182 - this video was from August 2023, not this year. That said, Key West gets the benefit of the Gulf Stream sweeping around and flushing its waters. Our reefs are definitely in worse shape this year as the warm water continues to kill the soft corals. We were also inundated with "spinning fish" syndrome from the Lower Keys all the way up to Key Biscayne with the worst of it around Cudjoe Key to Big Pine. Even last year, when the bay water conditions were at their worst, you could always find clear water offshore. Thanks for watching!
I wonder if it's nasty over near the Dry Tortugas, or the Bahamas on the other side?
Good question. I find out tomorrow how the Tortugas are looking and let you know. I just heard swimming is closed at Bahia Honda State Park due to high bacteria levels.
@@lowerkeysliving that's terrible. I grew up in Sarasota and it breaks my heart to hear that the coral is bleaching and the reef is dying. Do you watch Key West Waterman? He just showed some coral that is bleaching and talked about it. I imagine he's going to talk about the water tomorrow, he always has videos on Monday.
We’re in Tallahassee and saying maybe that tropical wave coming through would flush out the bay. Hope so. Like your vids.
@brianlowe753 We are hoping, we had some torrential rain and winds last night and more forecast today. I'm hoping for a giant "flush"! Thanks for watching.
Fertilizers, runoff. Ill tell you over the past decade or 2 the keys went from a small town feel to a true extension of south florida. All of the old florida has been extinguished down south. I grew up in hollywood and Hollywood beach used to be a nice small town beach with little mom and pops stores and restaurants. It was slow, not crowded and laid back. If you wanted the party spot you went to ft lauderdale or south bch now Hollywood is as bad as both. Its just too many people, too much waste, too much runoff, too many people in south florida and the keys that want to use fertilizers to make their lawns look like golf courses.
Thanks for watching - completely agree with your comments!
Been in VO for a week water has been terrible. Made it out to snipe key and it looked a lot better. Same with Islamorada looked good up there
@fishhunt2212 We are right across from VO on the opposite side of Spanish Main. Glad you found some clean water out near Snipes. The water was "clearish" at the American Shoals lighthouse 2 nights ago, but that was 6 miles out. Hope you're enjoying your stay at VO - they have the best boat ramps in the Lower Keys. Thanks for watching!
Fingers crossed. Hope the water clears up soon. By the way, thank you for recommending Faraldo Fuel Service. Excellent service. Delivered same day within the hour.
@sunghan6136 I've got fingers and toes crossed for cleaner water. Yes Faraldo's fuel service is amazing! Glad they worked out for you.
No offense, but the irony of your comment is sobering.
touchee .. good catch.@@augsu
@@augsu Yes, I get that I sound hypocritical talking about using fossil fuel for the boats. I am visiting a new factory making bio-diesel outboards in a few weeks. Not perfect, but a step up environmentally from the gas outboards, especially 2 strokes that really burn oil. Thanks for watching.
@@lowerkeysliving You're a realist. We can do two things at once, things are not mutually exclusive.
Algae bloom?
Yes, Bahia Honda State Park is closed to swimming due to high bacteria levels.
Send it south- I wonder if dirty water during the summer was the norm 100+ years ago before the army corp dried up the glades.
@TheChitwoodINC Thanks for watching! I spent a few hours yesterday at the marine/coral lab here talking about it, and they attribute much of the change to 2 causes: 1) the changes to the Everglades and 2) the warming water. The warming water is killing off the inshore coral reefs and also leading to more algae blooms that thrive in warmer water.
Read this collection of articles written around 1900 - "Tales of Old Florida - it's a compilation of hunting and fishing stories - and you will get sick of how it used to be. They talk alot about the water and how clear it was, how many fish, etc.
Thanks, I will definitely look for, and read :Tales of Old Florida". Thank you for sharing!
Hotter weather..
And endless new housing developments adding runoff
@buffaloman5042 It all has been snowballing for years. Hopefully people will "figure" it out soon! Thanks for watching.
Wow
It has been painful to see our reefs dying off so rapidly, and the sudden decline of the water. Bahia Honda State Park has closed the water around the park (Sunday) due to high levels of Bacteria. . . Thanks for watching.
How stupid is our Government!
Agree, the Everglades used to be able to filter out all the pollutants before they reached the sea, not anymore. Thanks for watching!
🙏🙏🙏
Exactly! Thanks for watching.
Looks like Ian runoff.
@gpslightlock1422 Thanks for watching! I wish it were just runoff!
And you are still out there adding to the problem?????
@gregsoberal7473 - Our family really tries to have minimal impact and work to improve our waters. Yes we have power boats, but switched away from the oil burning 2 strokes. 70% of our water time is on our SUP's and kayaks for flats fishing and lobstering. But, please if you see something always keep me honest. Thank you for watching.