Reef Relief partnered with Danger Charters for a cleanup of Mule Key on Wednesday, April 27th to conclude their “Earth Week”. With the help of 15 volunteers, including Captain Wade and Nicole Talton of Danger Charters, Reef Relief removed 451 pounds of marine debris from the mangroves. The volunteers discovered that most of the debris was a result of fishing gear, such as rope, buoys, traps and crates.

Mangroves are essential environments because they serve as nursery areas to a large diversity of sea life, such as juvenile sharks, snapper, barracuda, and invertebrates. Unfortunately, due to the complex root system of mangroves, they are susceptible to collecting trash that gets tangled among the roots and branches. The trash that pollutes this environment is a danger to the local marine animals. That’s why it is so imperative that we keep our mangroves clean.

Reef Relief is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to improving and protecting our coral reef ecosystems. Find out more at http://www.reefrelief.org or call 305-294-3100.