Virginia Key Votes Against Ultra’s Return After Report On “Excess Stress Levels” In Fish

Miami City Council will vote on May 9 whether to renew or revoke Ultra Music Festival’s license to hold their event on Virginia Key for a second year, but Virginia Key has already made it clear that it doesn’t want Ultra back.

A preliminary meeting two weeks ago discussed the possibility of Ultra returning. Commissioner Joe Carollo against voiced his intent to vote against the festival, as he did last November. City Manager Emilio Gonzalez and Commissioner Keon Hardemon both expressed support for the festival, but will it be enough?

In a meeting on Tuesday, the Virginia Key Advisory Board voted against Ultra, recommending that the city of Miami revoke its license agreement. (Note: this vote has no direct result on the vote from the Miami City Council.) This decision was influenced in large part by a report from University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, which outlined the stress the festival was causing on wildlife in the area.

“Ultra was causing short-term, acute stress on our fish,” said Danielle McDonald, an associate professor of marine biology at the university. “We are using it as a canary in the coal mine.”

Sound recordings in air at the UMEH property rarely exceeded 80 dB during the event. However, despite being well within the permitted limits, the noise pollution caused by the Ultra Music Festival led to significant elevations of noise in tanks at the UMEH (average increase of 10 dB) and toadfish housed in these tanks experienced a clear, and statistically significant, stress response.

Read the full report here, and stay tuned for May 9th when the Miami City Council votes.

BREAKING: Fish suffered excess stress levels because of loud music at the Ultra Music Festival, according to University of Miami researchers. Testing of hormone levels showed stress levels were greater than if the fish were being chased by a predator.#Ultra

— KeyNews (@KBKeyNews) April 23, 2019

2/ Tests were made on fish at the
University of Miami’s Experimental Hatchery. Researchers are still analyzing underwater sound levels near the concert site.

— KeyNews (@KBKeyNews) April 23, 2019

3/ Presentation was made at the Virginia Key Advisory Board. Panel also heard from Key Biscayne Mayor Mike Davey and MAST parents opposed to festival’s location on Virginia Key. #Ultra

— KeyNews (@KBKeyNews) April 24, 2019

4/Virginia Key Advisory Board now considering motion against renewal of Ultra for 2020.

— KeyNews (@KBKeyNews) April 24, 2019

5/ The Virginia Key Advisory Board has voted against Ultra, recommending that the city of Miami revoke it’s license agreement.

— KeyNews (@KBKeyNews) April 24, 2019