"Win Back Our Water": Bonefish & Tarpon Trust's Campaign for Florida's Water Quality
Campaign for Florida's Water
Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT), a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving bonefish, tarpon, and permit fisheries, has launched a campaign titled "Win Back Our Water". This campaign aims to raise awareness and support surrounding three key issues affecting Florida's water quality: The major issues we are facing are, outdated wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, pharmaceutical contaminants released into waterways, and glyphosate pollution that has been occurring in the water as well.
The Campaign's Objective
The BTT" 's educational campaign is hoping to mobilize Local Floridians to protect and maintain their state's waterways. These types of projects will be vital to the health and sustainability of these fisheries. This project goes over the importance of water quality for the ecosystem and also outlines plans to keep the health of the fishery for the future, by educating the people who live in the area and making changes to current legislation.
The Issues at Hand
Florida's outdated wastewater infrastructure is causing a ridiculous amount of human-made problems, including the presence of pharmaceutical contaminants in fish up and down the coast. Glyphosate, which is a common ingredient in many pesticides and household weedkillers, has also been found in the fish which truly going to be impacting Florida's fisheries.
Prescription Drug Pollution
Recent scientific studies have revealed alarming levels of pharmaceutical drugs in bonefish and redfish in Florida waters. this proves that our wastewater programs are seeping toxins into the waters regularly, and at dangerous levels. The fishery has an annual economic impact of 13.9 billion and directly supports over 120,000 jobs in Florida. The contaminants in our water pose a significant threat to a historically thriving fishing industry that is currently in the Sunshine State.
Glyphosate Pollution
Glyphosate is a household chemical that is used for everything from agriculture to aquatic weed control, in a recent study scientists found glyphosate in fish sampled from the Indian River Lagoon, indicating its presence in other many estuaries, freshwater lakes, and rivers throughout Florida’s waterways.
The Need for Immediate Action
The launch of the "Win Back Our Water" campaign follows ongoing harmful algal blooms, poor water quality, seagrass loss, fish kills, and contaminants in fish and other marine organisms found in the water over the last 5 years. Immediate policy changes and long-term investments in water quality and habitat conservation to stop the decline and give ecosystems a chance to recover.
This campaign by BTT is a significant step towards addressing Florida's declining water quality issues, by raising awareness and pushing for policy changes, BTT is spearheading an outstanding effort to protect waterways and the amazing marine life that they support. For more information, visit www.btt.org/WINBACKOURWATER.
