Tampa Bay, FL
The project will use reclaimed water from the surrounding area to create the low salinity water needed by the game fish species native to the area, the most interesting being, Snook, Tarpon, and Redfish. Reclaimed water is water that has been processed and cleaned after use by humans. And according to Bart Weiss, Director of Hillsborough County Reclaimed Water Dept., “It’s the first time I know of that utilities and scientists propose using reclaimed water to help fish and ecosystems.”
“The 25-acre property, once home to Bramco Tropical Fish, has been abandoned since the 1970s. Since then, the hundreds of shallow ponds where tropical fish were grown have been overtaken by invasive species. Hillsborough County and SWIM, working with the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, will restore the site to a mosaic of habitats from uplands to very low salinity areas to intertidal lagoons and islands. The goal is to meet the specific needs of recreationally important fish including tarpon, redfish, sea trout and snook.”
It’s incredible to see municipalities working with fishery conservation organizations to leverage unused lands for the benefit of the environment. We look forward to seeing the progress BTT makes via this project and hope to see more responsible uses of reclaimed water!
To discover more about the project, check out this article on BaySoundings.com!
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