IRLNews:Pharmaceuticals Found in Florida Redfish

Indian River Lagoon News

Pharmaceuticals Found in Florida Redfish

JoAnn Adkins, Author

April 3, 2023

Miami - A recently completed study found that redfish sampled throughout Florida’s estuaries are contaminated with pharmaceuticals. Given the importance of redfish to the $13.9 billion recreational fishery in Florida, and the negative impacts of pharmaceuticals on fish, this is an urgent concern. This research follows a prior study that discovered pharmaceutical contaminants in 100% of bonefish sampled from Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys, and shows that pharmaceutical contamination is a statewide issue.

The Redfish Pharmaceutical Contaminants Study was a year-long research project funded by Bonefish & Tarpon Trust and conducted by Florida International University’s Coastal Fisheries Research Lab. The Redfish Pharmaceutical Contaminants Study builds on the previous bonefish study by providing the first assessment of pharmaceutical pollution at a broad spatial scale for estuarine waters in the state of Florida. The goal of the study was to determine the occurrence of pharmaceutical contaminants in redfish in nine important estuaries throughout Florida. These waterborne contaminants pose a significant threat to Florida’s recreational saltwater fishery, which directly supports more than 120,000 jobs

Full Story: https://news.fiu.edu/2023/pharmaceuticals-found-in-florida-redfish

Document: https://www.bonefishtarpontrust.org/downloads/BTT-Redfish-handout.pdf

Location: Miami: Florida

Source: FIU News ENews Article Published by Florida International University on April 03, 2023.

Topic: Research Resources