Baffin Bay is the “jewel” of the Texas coast, with salty waters that have traditionally supported world-class fishing. Over the last 3-4 decades however, there has been a significant decline in its water quality and a deterioration in ecosystem health, with symptoms such as persistent harmful algal blooms, fish kills, and episodes of apparent starvation of a commercially important fish species (black drum). Anglers, fishing guides, landowners and bay-dependent businesses have commented that these symptoms w
In 2013, HRI researchers enlisted 18 “citizen scientists” to study the water quality problems in Baffin Bay. They found that Baffin Bay is being subjected to excessive nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus) pollution coming from its watershed. This nutrient pollution is a key promoter of the algal blooms and other symptoms of water quality degradation. Without good water quality, it is difficult for bays such as Baffin to support critical habitat and a healthy fishery.
Bringing Baffin Back is unique in that it applies a whole ecosystem approach to address the challenges facing Baffin Bay. Its success depends on the high-quality research that is being conducted by researchers at HRI and partner institutes to understand these challenges, on the strength of partnerships with stakeholders that are vital for identifying solutions and the resources needed to implement those solutions, and on the continued interest from the public in restoring and protecting this iconic bay syst