16-Month dredging operation at the Port of Miami DESTROYED 50 to 90 percent of nearby reefs | Natural News

New findings from a team of researchers from the University of Miami (UM) revealed significant damage to anywhere between 50 to 90 percent of Miami’s coral reefs during the 16-month dredging operation at the Port of Miami. This study, published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin found that upwards of 560,000 corals within 500 meters of the dredged channel were killed. Furthermore, they believe that the impact of the dredging operations may have spread across more than 15 miles of Florida’s reef tract, possibly killing tens or hundreds of thousands more.

Full article: 16-Month dredging operation at the Port of Miami DESTROYED 50 to 90 percent of nearby reefs

Sources from the article:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190530141448.htm

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X19303868

https://www.usf.edu/marine-science/news/2019/new-study-finds-over-half-a-million-corals-killed-during-port-of-miami-dredging.aspx

Mass Mortality Events, Strandings of 260+ Dolphins Since February Along Gulf Coast

Mass deaths of dolphins have occurred along the coastal regions of the Gulf of Mexico. Not just any region though. The main regions where the dolphins have been stranded and died are areas that were affected the most by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. Other factors, including an excess of freshwater from the Mississippi, are also said to have contributed to the event.

Detailed coverage: Stranding of 261 dolphins, possibly linked to high Mississippi River, declared ‘unusual mortality event’ - NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune

The stranding of more than 261 bottlenose dolphins along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle since Feb. 1, with 98 percent of the dolphins being found dead, prompted NOAA Fisheries to declare an unusual mortality event on Friday.

More regarding the Unusual Mortality Event, declared by the NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service - Southeast Region: https://wwl.radio.com/articles/more-260-dead-dolphins-found-along-gulf-coast

This declaration allows an investigative team to look into the high number of dolphin deaths stretching from Louisiana through the Florida panhandle.

Dr. Terri Rowles, NOAA Fisheries Coordinator, has issued a statement informing the public what to do if they come into contact with any stranded mammals.

There's a number of factors that well be looking at as part of this investigation, but its too early at this point to say what may be causing the mortalities, said Dr. Erin Fougeres with NOAA Fisheries Southeast Region.

The area where the dolphins have shown an increase of deaths includes the area where the Deepwater Horizon Explosion impacted the gulf in 2010.