Deterioration of the marine environment in the Florida Keys

The Florida Keys are an island chain located off the southern tip of the state of Florida, U.S.A. The biological and cultural resources in this area include the nation’s only living barrier coral reef, lush seagrass meadows, hundreds of mangrove islands, and diverse hardbottom habitats.

The deterioration of the marine environment in the Florida Keys is no longer a matter of debate. There is a decline of healthy corals, an invasion of algae into seagrass beds and reefs, a decline in certain fisheries, and an increase of coral diseases and coral bleaching. In Florida Bay, reduced freshwater flow has resulted in an increase in plankton blooms, sponge and seagrass die-offs, and fish kills.

More than four million people visit the Florida Keys annually, and more than 80,000 people reside in the Keys full time. Since 1965, the number of registered private recreational vessels has increased over six times. There are significant direct and indirect effects from the high levels of use of marine resources by residents and tourists. The damage done by people hinders the ability of marine life to recover from naturally occurring stresses.

In response to the decline of the area’s marine resources, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) was designated in 1990 by the U.S. Congress for the purpose of protecting and managing 2800-square nautical miles of the marine environment surrounding the Florida Keys. The Sanctuary is managed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service in partnership with the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

The FKNMS was charged with crafting a management plan to provide for the continued public and private use of the Sanctuary while ensuring adequate resource protection. The Sanctuary’s authorizing legislation directed managers to consider using temporal and geographic zoning to achieve these goals.

Background:

A citizen advisory council assisted the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in developing the Sanctuary management plan. This council made recommendations to NOAA on the preferred components of the plan. One of these components was the zoning action plan, which designated five individual zone types in which certain activities were restricted. The purpose of each zone type varied, and included goals such as reducing user conflicts, reducing pressure on sensitive and over-exploited areas, protecting biological diversity and representative marine habitats, and providing control areas for scientific research. This is the first initiative within the United States to develop a series of no-take marine reserves.

Two of the five zone types prohibited consumptive activities of any kind. The final Zoning Action Plan includes 23 small no-take marine reserves, which protect approximately one percent of the total Sanctuary area and 65 percent of the shallow coral reef habitat in the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary no-take zones were the most controversial part of the overall Sanctuary management plan.

The zones were officially implemented on July 1, 1997. All zones are marked with 30” yellow buoys. Sanctuary education staff began extensive distribution of educational materials explaining the new no-take zones and their regulations prior to zone implementation, and this effort continues today with the help of a large volunteer network. For one year after the no-take zone implementation, Sanctuary enforcement officers conducted “interpretive enforcement” in which the new rules were explained to offenders and educational material distributed in lieu of citations.

Status:

Since implementation, Sanctuary users and Florida Keys residents in general have provided positive feedback on the zones. A comprehensive monitoring program supported by the Sanctuary is underway to assess the long-term effects of the no-take zones on fish, invertebrates, corals, and to determine the overall attitude of Sanctuary users toward the zones. Preliminary monitoring data suggest an increase in invertebrate species such as spiny lobster, and anecdotal reports claim obvious increases in fish populations within the zones.

Follow-up:

The follow-up strategy includes the continued monitoring of the no-take zones. Five years after implementation (Year 2002), an overall evaluation of the zones effectiveness must be reported to the State of Florida. Additionally, the FKNMS is currently in the process of developing an Ecological Reserve (one of the five zone types) in the westernmost portion of the Sanctuary, in the vicinity of the Dry Tortugas. The FKNMS Final Management Plan committed the Sanctuary to identifying the criteria, boundaries, and regulations for the Ecological Reserve by the Year 2000. A three phase process of Reserve development includes substantial opportunities for members of the public to share knowledge of the area and express their views on the creation of the Reserve. This process is called Tortugas 2000.

Documentation:

The Sanctuary zones have been the subject of numerous print, television, video, and radio media features, and it is likely that this attention will continue as the scientific results of these areas are documented.

Weblinks:

Contacts and Submitted by:

Mr. Benjamin Haskell
Science Coordinator
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
5550 Overseas Highway, Main House
Marathon, FL 33050
U.S.A. 305-743-2437 PHONE
305-743-2357 FAX
Ben.Haskell@noaa.gov P.O. Box 500368

Joanne Delaney
Research Interpreter
joanne.delaney@noaa.gov
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
PHONE 305-743-2437
FAX 305-743-2357
P.O. Box 500368 5550
Overseas Hwy
Main House
Marathon, FL 33050 U.S.A.
http://www.nos.noaa.gov/nmsp/fknms/