Biscayne Bay

In August 2020, Biscayne Bay went into respiratory distress. High water temperatures coupled with lots of phosphorous nearly killed our bay. Hundreds of fish and marine life dead. It was an ecosystem’s cry for help.

For decades, FIU has led research initiatives on water, including the health of Biscayne Bay. Last spring, the university proposed a new initiative for a comprehensive monitoring network to identify potential problems before they become crises.

When dead fish started popping up in August, FIU research teams of students and faculty responded immediately, deploying 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.

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.

Experts 

FIU scientists provided quick answers in those early days of the fish kill. In total, our experts appeared in nearly 200 media reports about the alarming conditions in Biscayne Bay.

Browse our Biscayne Bay experts or contact us for media relations assistance.