Life Below Water – In the World

Where Inspiration Meets Impact

Florida International University's ridge-to-reef approach in environmental research is conducted across the globe, collaborating with partners locally and internationally to advance science, technology and best practices that will keep our oceans, seas and marine resources healthy. Our researchers are working across all targets set by the United Nations for Sustainable Development Goal 14, helping to ensure sustainable LIFE BELOW WATER.

Life Below Water

FIU is working across all targets set by the United Nations General Assembly in Sustainable Development Goal 14 to achieve a sustainable future for the world's oceans, seas and marine resources.

Boat on water with buoy — 14.1 Reduce and prevent pollution
FIU scientists, through research and action, are preventing and reducing marine pollution of all kinds including nutrient, plastics and microplastics, PFAS forever chemicals, oil and industrial contaminants, pharmaceuticals, and other marine debris. Our scientists are doing the detective work to prevent ecological disasters. Find out more on FIU’s efforts to reduce and prevent pollution.

**14.2 Manage and protect ecosystems**
From the deepest depths to our coastlines, FIU is helping to sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to strengthen their resilience, restore biodiversity and protect critical resources. Find out more on FIU's efforts to manage and protect ecosystems.

14.3 Address ocean acidification
FIU is providing scientific solutions to the devastating and complex challenges of ocean acidification through innovations on seagrass work, coral restoration, climate change research and studies on overall ocean health. Find out more on FIU's efforts to address ocean acidification.

Everglades — 14.4 End destructive fishing
From the illegal shark fin trade to the unintended bycatch of marine mammals, FIU is working with international governments, local fishermen, NGOs and others to end overfishing, illegal, unreported, unregulated and other destructive fishing practices. Find out more on FIU's efforts to end destructive fishing.

**14.5 Conserve marine areas**
By providing open-access actionable data on critical marine issues, serving as major research partners for marine sanctuaries, and advising international governments on establishment of protected areas, FIU is providing the science to ensure oceans remain healthy. Find out more on FIU's efforts to conserve marine areas.

14.6 Inform policy
FIU scientists provide supporting evidence to issues of overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing to inform regulatory agencies through research and advocacy. Find out more on FIU's efforts to inform policy.

14.7 Collaborate with island states
All across the world, FIU scientists work with communities and governments in Small Island Developing States to establish sustainable use of marine resources including ecotourism, aquaculture and sustainable management of fisheries. Find out more on FIU's efforts to collaborate with island states.

14. a-c Improve resources
Innovative technologies and collaborative research are at the core of FIU’s efforts to improve ocean health and protect marine biodiversity. Find out more on FIU's efforts to improve resources.

Target 14.1: Reduce and prevent pollution

By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution

CREST Center for Aquatic Chemistry and Environment
FIU’s Institute of Environment features the CREST Center for Aquatic Chemistry and Environment, where faculty and students focus on detecting and researching the impacts of toxic substances including microplastics, pesticides, industrial chemicals, oil, pharmaceuticals, nutrients and metals in the water. The NSF-supported center of research excellence includes researchers from FIU architecture, biology, chemistry, computer science, earth systems, public health and engineering. These researchers were among the first to respond to a massive fish kill that struck Biscayne Bay, collecting and analyzing water samples to help determine the cause of the devastation. They continue to work in the bay. They are also developing and deploying autonomous vessels that can explore difficult-to-reach urban environments to pinpoint contamination sources.
The center funds graduate fellowships and provides opportunities for students to earn micro-credentials in next-generation skills needed to understand complex environmental problems, including robotics, innovative sensor development, big-data analytics, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
S.A.R.A.H. Initiative
An estimated 8 to 12 million tons of plastics makes its way into our oceans every year. FIU and the International SeaKeepers Society have joined forces on a collaborative project dubbed the S.A.R.A.H. Initiative where privately owned yachts become platforms for FIU scientists to conduct field research. Special nets are towed behind the vessels to gather samples of plastic debris in the water. More than a name, S.A.R.A.H. is an acronym for the process to end this epidemic — sample, aggregate, return, analyze, help. After samples are collected in the nets, they are packaged and shipped back to FIU researchers for examination.
The S.A.R.A.H. nets are not like traditional nets. They can collect even the tiniest bits of plastic— smaller than a grain of rice — known as microplastics. Whether the plastic pieces collected in the nets began as a bag or bottle, these plastics cannot hide their original forms from FIU researchers. All plastic is made up of hydrocarbon polymers. These polymers and an assortment of added chemicals are combined in countless ways to create different variations — from polyester clothing to acrylic paints and water bottles. In the lab, samples are tested to pinpoint the type of plastics that are plaguing our oceans and the findings are added to an online database. The data can be the foundation for future policy decisions that can ensure the ocean is home to more marine life and less plastic.
Biscayne Bay
In August 2020, Biscayne Bay went into respiratory distress. High water temperatures coupled with significant excess nutrient pollution nearly killed our bay. Hundreds of fish and marine life dead — an ecosystem’s cry for help. One of FIU’s two main campuses is located along Biscayne Bay and for decades, FIU has led research on its health. When dead fish started popping up, FIU research teams responded immediately, deploying special autonomous surface vessels and buoys to measure temperature, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll to better understand what was happening and what was needed to stop it. They worked with local officials to help re-oxygenate the bay. Their work continues as the bay is continuing to show signs of an ecosystem in trouble. More than just science, our work is focused on communicating with local communities to educate on the role they play in the health of the bay as well as the need for improved protections at the local and state levels. Recently, the university proposed a new initiative for a comprehensive monitoring network for the bay to identify potential problems before they become crises. The researchers have been actively pursuing funding opportunities to advance this effort. Biscayne Bay needs saving. FIU has the expertise and the will to give a lifeline to this tropical lagoon that is ecologically and economically essential to Miami.
Pharmaceutical Contamination
FIU's environmental scientists led the first study of its kind that discovered pharmaceutical contaminants in the blood and other tissues of bonefish in Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys. With approximately 5 billion prescriptions filled each year in the United States and no environmental regulations for their disposal, this wastewater contamination is an invisible threat that can affect fish behavior, reproduction and survival. As the researchers advocate to expand and modernize wastewater treatment and sewage infrastructure, they are expanding their research to other marine animals and regions.
These contaminants pose a significant threat to the flats fishery, an important part of Florida’s recreational saltwater fishery, which has an annual economic impact of $9.2 billion and directly supports over 88,500 jobs. Researchers also found pharmaceuticals in bonefish prey — crabs, shrimp and fish — suggesting that many of Florida’s valuable fisheries are exposed, and not only the bonefish fishery.
Forever Chemicals
FIU chemists are investigating distribution of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) in major watersheds and canal systems to advance strategies for controlling and reducing these forever chemicals in water systems. They are also examining concentrations of PFAS in oysters to determine the extent of contamination in wildlife and the food chain. Our scientists are among the first to measure the local distribution and level of PFAS.
Oil Spill
Oil spills in marine waters wreak catastrophic destruction on ecosystems, food systems and economies. Leveraging our long-term records on water quality, FIU was uniquely positioned to assess the real-time impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. Our interdisciplinary team of experts in marine chemistry and water quality, ecotoxicology, marine ecology, economics and energy policy work together to improve global understanding of the impacts of such events. We work with other universities and local governments to develop unified action plans that can help communities be better prepared. Our Coastal Oceans Team is using sonar and remotely operated vehicles to provide baseline information on coral reef fish diversity and ecology to eliminate the significant knowledge gaps that previously existed on the Gulf of Mexico as an ecosystem. This could help officials on all sides better fortify this critically important body of water for U.S., Mexican and Cuban fishing industries. Our efforts are more that surface-deep. From the hidden crannies deep inside coral reefs to the depths of the sea floor, FIU marine scientists are studying impacts to genetic diversity, population connectivity and communication among deep sea organisms to provide a timeline of their recovery and genetic sequencing protocols for future research.
Our chemists are the first to simulate the conditions of the aftermath of an oil spill in a controlled lab to understand how oil-degrading bacteria respond when an oil spill strikes. And they are also studying the impacts of chemicals used to treat oil spills to ensure the solution for one problem doesn’t create another problem, as FIU researchers discovered was the case for jellyfish with a dispersant used in 2010. These efforts and more are giving scientists, first responders and policymakers the information and tools they need to be better prepared for future spills.

Target 14.2 Manage and protect ecosystems

By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans

International Policy
FIU's Institute of Environment represents one of the largest and most impactful environmental research programs in the world. FIU is the main research partner for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and a research partner with Rookery Bay Research Reserve. Our researchers are members of the Blue Carbon Scientific Working Group, an initiative coordinated by Conservation International, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Our researchers are providing critical data to support the listings of shark and ray species for protection by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Our students are studying implementation challenges of wildlife accords. Members of the predator team have tagged sperm whales off the coast of Guadeloupe as part of the UN Environment — Caribbean Environmental Programme’s Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife project in support of the Cartagena Convention.
Scientists in the Institute of Environment are also members of key local, national and international environmental initiatives including:
- Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation
- Global Lake Ecological Research Network
- Florida Blue-Green Algae Task Force
- Miami-Dade County Biscayne Bay Task Force
- International Blue Carbon Policy Working Group
- Science Advisory Committee for Pew Environment's Global Shark Program
- IUCN Cetacean and Shark Specialist groups
- Expert Panel on cetacean bycatch of the International Whaling Commission
- Southeast Regional Climate Change Compact Sea Level Rise Projection Work Group
Global FinPrint
A team of international researchers led by Florida International University recently released the first of what promises to be years of research findings from Global FinPrint, a three-year survey of the world’s reef shark and ray populations. The landmark study, which collected 20,000 hours of survey footage along 400 reefs in 58 countries, revealed sharks are functionally extinct on many of the coral reefs, indicating they are too rare to fulfill their normal role in the ecosystem. Sharks were not observed on nearly 20 percent, indicating a widespread decline that has gone undocumented on this scale until now.
The Global FinPrint team also identified conservation measures that could lead to recovery of these iconic predators. It is a critical first step in protecting and restoring shark and ray populations all across the world. Even before this data was released, FIU researchers provided preliminary findings from Global FinPrint to officials in Belize and the Dominican Republic, which led to Belize establishing a nationwide ray sanctuary and the Dominican Republic instituting a nationwide shark-fishing ban.
Biscayne Bay
In August 2020, Biscayne Bay went into respiratory distress. High water temperatures coupled with lots of phosphorus nearly killed this 35-mile-long subtropical lagoon. Hundreds of fish and marine life dead — an ecosystem’s cry for help. For decades, Florida International University (FIU) has led research initiatives on the health of Biscayne Bay, which happens to run along the eastern shore of FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus. Our researchers have been working with local officials to establish a comprehensive monitoring network to identify potential problems before they become crises. While most of the world was shut down amid the global pandemic, FIU research teams of students and faculty immediately headed to the bay when those first signs of distress appeared in 2020. They deployed special autonomous surface vessels to measure temperature, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll to better understand what was happening and what was needed to stop it. They worked with local officials to help re-oxygenate the bay.
Their work continues as the bay continues to show signs of an ecosystem in trouble. FIU has engaged in community outreach programs to raise awareness, educate residents on the role they play in the health of the bay and advocate for the need of improved protections at the local and state levels. Biscayne Bay needs saving. FIU has the expertise and the will to give a lifeline to this ecologically and economically essential body of water.

Target 14.3 Address ocean acidification

Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels

Ocean Acidification
FIU is providing scientific solutions to the devastating and complex challenges of ocean acidification through innovations on seagrass work, coral restoration initiatives, climate change research and studies on overall ocean health. We are also transforming our teaching methods to improve student understanding of complex topics and improve their abilities to develop solutions.
FIU Aquarius
FIU Aquarius is the world’s only underwater research laboratory where scientists can live and work on the ocean floor for days and weeks at a time. Located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, FIU resides on the most extensive living coral barrier reef system in contiguous U.S. waters — third-largest in the world. Scientists conduct research here on ocean acidification, climate change, coral health and overall ocean health. Coupled with its unique capabilities, FIU Aquarius is one of few sites ideal for undersea equipment testing and training for study and exploration in extreme environments. We also offer educational outreach programming to give access to a unique marine ecosystem, share the latest science and inspire countless minds.
Blue Carbon
We have the foremost experts on seagrass and mangrove ecosystems as well as Blue Carbon — the term used to describe carbon captured by the world’s oceans and coastal ecosystems. Our researchers are part of the Blue Carbon Initiative, a global program working to mitigate climate change through the restoration and sustainable use of coastal and marine ecosystems. The Initiative is coordinated by Conservation International, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.

Target 14.4 End destructive fishing

By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics

Global FinPrint
FIU led Global FinPrint, an international effort that has identified the last remaining stronghold of sharks and rays throughout the world. More than 120 scientists from 89 universities, aquariums and non-profits collected footage across nearly 400 reefs to survey the world’s reef shark populations. The data provides the first true assessment, showing sharks are functionally extinct along 20 percent of all reefs. The research also identified key strategies to reverse these declines. The Global FinPrint team also identified conservation measures that could lead to recovery of these iconic predators. It is a critical first step in protecting and restoring shark and ray populations all across the globe. Even before this data was released, FIU researchers provided preliminary findings from Global FinPrint to officials in Belize and the Dominican Republic, which led to Belize establishing a nationwide ray sanctuary and the Dominican Republic instituting a nationwide shark-fishing ban.
DNA Detectives and the Shark Fin Trade
FIU marine scientists are using DNA detective work to uncover the mysteries of the global shark fin trade. They have genetically analyzed more than 12,000 fin samples to determine the species most commonly found in markets in Hong Kong and China. Then, they’ve used DNA from the fins to actually track where the sharks were caught. They are using this information to pinpoint where endangered species face the highest risk of overexploitation and possible extinction from illegal fishing practices.
These researchers are also investigating where smaller shark fins are coming from. Hundreds of thousands could fit in a single sack. Most of these fins — small enough to fit in the palm of a hand — come from juvenile sharks. Genetically tracking them can pinpoint nursery areas where sharks are in the gravest danger. The scientists hope their efforts can end a cycle of overexploitation of species that are targeted at multiple stages of the life cycle. To date, their efforts have resulted in the interception of illegal shipments of fins, european eels, matamata turtles and other marine species both in Asia and South America.
Bycatch
In a study of the fishing methods used by semi-industrial tuna gillnet fisheries in Pakistan, an international team led by FIU Institute of Environment researcher Jeremy Kiszka determined dolphin bycatch was reduced by 78.5 percent when gillnets were deployed about 6 feet below the surface. Given the estimated 100,000 whales and dolphins accidentally caught each year in gillnets in the Indian Ocean, the life-saving potential is monumental. This research also showed the lower gillnets did not negatively impact the fishermen’s yield of tuna. The magnitude of bycatch is overlooked in many regions of the world, particularly in developing countries, and actions to mitigate bycatch are still rare in most fisheries. This new information provides an easy and effective solution that adds no additional costs for the fisherman.
Crevalle Jack
Crevalle Jack is an important apex predator found throughout the tropical and temperate waters of the north Atlantic Ocean. The species is targeted by both commercial and recreational anglers but, in recent years, fishermen reported fewer catches of this unregulated species. Researchers in the FIU Institute of Environment are using a combination of research and angler knowledge to determine spatiotemporal patterns of Crevalle Jack abundance and assess movement and migration patterns. In partnership with the Lower Keys Guide Association, the goal is to determine where and when Crevalle Jack populations began to decline, assess possible factors that may be contributing to the decline, and determine the spatial scale of management that will be necessary to conserve and restore the population. By collaborating with recreational anglers and state management, the research team hopes to develop a sound management plan for the data-poor Crevalle Jack fishery that will successfully restore and conserve this important fish species.

Target 14.5 Conserve marine areas

By 2020, conserve at least 10 percent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific information

Global FinPrint
A team of international researchers led by Florida International University recently released the first of what promises to be years of research findings from Global FinPrint, a three-year survey of the world’s reef shark and ray populations. The landmark study, which collected 20,000 hours of survey footage along 400 reefs in 58 countries, revealed sharks are functionally extinct on many of the coral reefs, indicating they are too rare to fulfill their normal role in the ecosystem. Sharks were not observed on nearly 20 percent, indicating a widespread decline that has gone undocumented on this scale until now.
The Global FinPrint team also identified conservation measures that could lead to recovery of these iconic predators. It is a critical first step in protecting and restoring shark and ray populations across the globe. Before this data was released, FIU researchers provided preliminary findings from Global FinPrint to officials in Belize and the Dominican Republic, which led to Belize establishing a nationwide ray sanctuary and the Dominican Republic instituting a nationwide shark-fishing ban.
Belize
The government of Belize announced the establishment of the first-ever nationwide ray sanctuary in 2017, motivated in part by data provided by FIU researchers. Globally, rays are threatened with extinction due to overfishing, habitat loss and climate change. They are even more at risk than sharks. More than 20 species of rays are known to populate the waters along Belize. While combing through hundreds of hours of video footage to inform Belize’s National Plan of Action for sharks, FIU scientists found thriving populations of rays. The Belize Fisheries Department, recognizing the importance of rays to Belize's tourism industry, created the sanctuary based on these findings.
Although shark sanctuaries exist in some parts of the world, few include rays. Prior to the Belize announcement, none were specifically for rays. Belize is home to the world’s second largest barrier reef with a diversity of rays ranging from tiny yellow round rays to large manta rays. The critically endangered smalltooth sawfish and endangered Ticon cownose are also believed to be in Belize waters.

Target 14.6 Inform policy

By 2020, prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such subsidies, recognizing that appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries should be an integral part of the World Trade Organization fisheries subsidies negotiation

IUU Fishing Conference
The FIU’s Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy hosted the IUU Fishing Conference where Southern Command and other key groups emphasized the need for international cooperation, collaboration, leveraged technology, and transparency to address illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The conference reached more than 3,000 viewers from more than 49 countries.
Policy Research
Scholars within FIU’s Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy are researching reporting in subsidies of Chinese fisheries and drops in domestic subsidies spending. Our marine scientists are conducting international research on challenges caused by bycatch — the unintended capture and discarding of marine animals that fishermen cannot sell. In recent years, these scientists have advocated for solutions to bycatch including better methods for fishing and the denial of subsidies to repeat offenders.

Target 14.7 Collaborate with island states

By 2030, increase the economic benefits to Small Island Developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism

Global Sustainable Tourism
FIU offers a bachelor’s degree in sustainable operations in the tourism industry, its impacts on the planet, and the increasing demand for a more sustainable approach to managing hospitality and tourism businesses. This unique, fully online program is offered by the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management in collaboration with the Department of Earth and Environment in the College of Arts, Sciences & Education. Students pursuing this degree acquire the knowledge and tools needed to become industry leaders in the management of sustainable tourism standards that will help protect the world’s natural and cultural resources and maintain them intact for future generations. Students will learn to apply these skills and lead through advocacy, conservation and community partnerships. Topics covered include socioeconomic, environmental and cultural impacts with respect to responsible business practices and local governance. In a nutshell, the overarching thrust of the program is to teach students how tourism can adapt to and mitigate climate change and become a key sector in the transition to low-carbon economies.

Targets 14.a-c Improve resources

Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries

Provide access for small-scale artisanal fisheries to marine resources and markets

Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources, as recalled in paragraph 158 of "The future we want"

Global FinPrint
A team of international researchers led by Florida International University recently released the first of what promises to be years of research findings from Global FinPrint, a three-year survey of the world’s reef shark and ray populations. The landmark study, which collected 20,000 hours of survey footage along 400 reefs in 58 countries, provides extensive data related to shark and ray populations that had gone unreported until now. Participating nations included several small island developing states.
The Global FinPrint team also identified conservation measures that could lead to recovery of these iconic predators. It is a critical first step in protecting and restoring shark and ray populations all across the globe. The findings have been made available to researchers and others through an innovative collaboration with the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.
Security Research Hub
The Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy’s Security Research Hub is a new virtual research platform that harnesses publicly available information that supports collaboration and shared understanding about Latin American and Caribbean security issues amongst FIU and its partners. The Hub focuses on a wide range of security-related topics including illegal fishing. The hub uses publicly available data and applies analytic tools that aggregate research and lead to new, original findings.