The Bonefish Pharmaceutical Contaminants Study was a three-year research project commissioned by Bonefish & Tarpon Trust and
conducted by Florida International University’s Coastal Fisheries Research Lab. The goal of the study was to determine the occurrence of pharmaceutical contaminants in bonefish in South Florida and the Caribbean. These waterborne contaminants pose a significant threat to the flats fishery, an important part of Florida’s recreational saltwater fishery, which has an annual economic impact exceeding $9 billion and directly supports 88,500 jobs.