Florida’s Indian River Lagoon is on life support

Americas Now

There is a body of water in Florida that in the past was teeming with life and filled with oysters, crabs and an abundance of fish. But not any longer.  The dolphins that call it home are sick, the fish are disappearing and the sea grasses are all but gone.   And efforts by ecologists and others to save it aren’t working.

The Indian River Lagoon is a waterway that stretches along 30% of Florida’s east coast. The estuary is renowned for its bird and manatee population. But the overpopulation in the area around the lagoon is causing serious degradation. And this spring, an algae bloom known as a brown tide covered the entire northern end of the Indian River Lagoon.  

Correspondent John Zarrella travels to Indian River Lagoon to find out what is happening to this environmentally critical habitat. He talks to some of the people trying to salvage it.

Florida’s Indian River Lagoon is on life support

There is a body of water in Florida that in the past was teeming with life and filled with oysters, crabs and an abundance of fish. But not any longer. The dolphins that call it home are sick, the fish are disappearing and the sea grasses are all but gone. And efforts by ecologists and others to save it aren’t working. The Indian River Lagoon is a waterway that stretches along 30% of Florida’s east coast. The estuary is renowned for its bird and manatee population. But the overpopulation in the area around the lagoon is causing serious degradation. And this spring, an algae bloom known as a brown tide covered the entire northern end of the Indian River Lagoon. Correspondent John Zarrella travels to Indian River Lagoon to find out what is happening to this environmentally critical habitat. He talks to some of the people trying to salvage it.