LET YOU KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY. FOR NOW THAT’S THE LATEST.
WE’RE LIVE HERE LOCAL 10 NEWS.
>> Anchor: THANK YOU.
>>> BREAKING RIGHT NOW AT NOON.
THOUSANDS OF DEAD FISH ARE FOUND
IN THE BAY.
>> Anchor: THIS IS HAPPENING
OFF THE COAST OF MIAMI.
>> Anchor: THAT’S EXACTLY WHERE
WE FIND LOCAL 10.
>> Anchor: HE IS JOINING US
LIVE FROM THE SCENE OF THIS
REALLY DISTURBING DISCOVERY IN
THE WATER.
>> Reporter: PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
SENDING ME PICTURES OF THIS
HORRIFIC SIGHT.
YOU’RE LOOKING AT IT.
PEOPLE WAKING UP TO FIND
HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF DEAD
FISH FLOATING IN THE WATER.
ENVIRONMENTALIST THINK IS WHAT
HAS BEEN EXPECTED FOR YEAR.
>> THERE WASN’T AS MANY DEAD
FISH AS THERE WERE YESTERDAY
AFTERNOON AND THIS MORNING.
YOU CAN SEE.
>> Reporter: EVERY MORNING
CATHERINE STARTS HER DAY WITH A
SWIM IN BISCAYNE BAY NEAR HER
HOME.
BUT SHE WAS NOT EXPECTING TO SEE
THIS.
>> AND ALL OF A SUDDEN WE JUST
-- WE WERE LOOKING AROUND US AND
WE REALIZED WE WERE IN A SEA OF
DEAD FISH.
OF ALL -- OF ALL DIFFERENT TYPES
OF FISH AND ALL DIFFERENT SIZES.
WE JUST STARTED LIKE LITERALLY
PICKING UP FISH AND PUSHING FISH
AWAY FROM US.
OH, MY GOODNESS.
SOMETHING IS WRONG.
SO WE CUT OUR SWIM SHORT.
>> Reporter: HUNDREDS OF
HUNDREDS OF DEAD FISH OF EVERY
SHAPE, SIZE AND SPECIES.
SHE TOOK OUT HER CELL PHONE AND
STARTED RECORDING.
>> THIS MORNING.
>> Reporter: SHE SENT THE VIDEO
TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL WATCHDOG
GROUP MIAMI WATER KEEPER WHO
TOOK A SAMPLE OF THE BAY WATER
TO ANALYZE AND CHECK FOR TOXINS.
BUT ENVIRONMENTALISTS FEAR THIS
IS NO MYSTERY BUT THE SIGN
THEY’VE BEEN WARNING ABOUT FOR
YEARS.
WE ARE KILLING BISCAYNE BAY.
>> THIS IS IT.
THIS IS WHAT WE’VE BEEN WARNING
ABOUT.
AND WE’RE STARTING TO SEE FISH
DIE.
WE’VE ALREADY SEEN OUR SEA GRASS
DIE.
AND THIS IS THE BIG, RED,
FLASHING ARROW THAT WE HAVE A
PROBLEM.
WE ARE BEYOND THE TIME TO ACT.
SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAS ALREADY
HAPPENED.
BUT WE NEED TO PREVENT THIS FROM
BECOMING AN EMERGENCY ACROSS
EVEN MORE OF THE BAY.
>> Reporter: SO RIGHT NOW THIS
APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN CONTAINED
TO THIS SECTION OF BISCAYNE BAY.
BUT AT WIC AND MIAMI WATER ARE
TAKING SAMPLES OF BISCAYNE BAY.
JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, THIS
STRETCHES AS FAR NORTH TO 125th
STREET.
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT NINE MILES
OF DEAD FISH ON BISCAYNE BAY.
RIGHT NOW ENVIRONMENTALISTS FEAR
WE’RE LOOKING AT A TOXIC ALGAE
BLOOM.
THE RESULTS WE GOT SHOW A VERY
LOW OXYGEN LEVEL IN THESE
WATERS.
SO BASICALLY SOMETHING IN THE
WATER IS SUCKING UP ALL OF THE
OXYGEN.
AND THE FISH AND SEA GRASS ARE
LITERALLY SUFFOCATING TO DEATH.
AND, AGAIN, ENVIRONMENTALIST SAY
THEY’VE BEEN SOUNDING THE ALARM
BELL FOR YEARS.
BISCAYNE BAY IS AT A CRUCIAL
TIPPING POINT.
IF WE DO NOT TAKE IMMEDIATE
CORRECTIVE ACTION, WE WILL LOSE
BISCAYNE BAY.
AND THAT IS NOT HYPERBOLE.
>> Anchor: SO YOU TALK ABOUT
TAKING IMMEDIATE ACTION.
WHAT KIND OF IMMEDIATE ACTION
ARE THEY SAYING THAT WE HAVE TO
DO RIGHT NOW?
>> Reporter: SO RIGHT NOW A BIG
PROBLEM WITH FERTILIZER RUNOFF
INTO THE BAY.
OUR SEWAGE PROBLEM.
WE HAVE TOO MANY SEWAGE LEAKS.
TOO MUCH POLLUTION.
STORM RAIN RUNOFF.
WE DO NOT TREAT STORM WATER WHEN
IT GOES INTO THE BAY.
THESE ARE THINGS THAT OUR CITY
LEADERS HAVE KNOWN ABOUT FOR
YEARS AND THEY HAVE NOT FIXED
THE PROBLEM.
WE ARE FIXING OUR SEWER SYSTEM
RIGHT NOW.
THAT’S TRUE.
BUT IT GOES BEYOND THE SEWER
SYSTEM.
RIGHT NOW THE CITY OF MIAMI
PASSED AN ORDINANCE IN THE CITY
THAT TOOK EFFECT IN MARCH
MEANING YOU CANNOT USE
FERTILIZER ON THE LAWN WHEN IT’S
RAINY AND WET AND ALL OF THE
FERTILIZER SEEPS INTO THE BAY.
THAT IS ADDING NUTRIENT INTO THE
BAY.
NUTRIENTS THAT FEED THE ALGAE
BLOOM.
THE ALGAE BLOOM SUCKS UP THE
OXYGEN.
THAT KILLS THE FISH AND SEA
GRASS.
WE WILL LOSE OUR SEA GRASS
ECOSYSTEM.
IT WILL BECOME AN ALGAE SYSTEM.
>> Anchor: THOSE IMAGES ARE SO