Four beach renourishment projects are currently proposed in Broward, Palm Beach, and Indian River counties that would bury over 100 acres of coral reef and hardbottom, reports ReefKeeper International, the non-profit coral reef conservation organization. Included in these projects, which will add over 9.5 million cubic yards of sand to beaches along the coast, is the burial of the historical Breakers Reef in Palm Beach, the loss of valuable sea turtle habitats, and the potential for great environmental damage to the South Florida marine ecosystem. ReefKeeper International has launched a public protest campaign to protect these valuable coral reefs and hardbottoms from beach renourishment damage. A Campaign Action Kit, including fact sheets, petitions, and letter-writing aids, is available from ReefKeeper International. A listserve (http://[email protected]) is available for the most up-to-date information on these projects.
"The burial of the famous Breakers Reef, a nearshore coral reef in Palm Beach, Florida frequented by snorkelers and divers, is totally unacceptable," states Alexander Stone, Director of ReefKeeper International. "Monitoring data collected since 1996 by ReefKeeper International and the Palm Beach Reef Research Team indicates that Breakers Reef is a wonderful coral reef ecosystem, containing healthy hard corals, soft corals, and a myriad of other coral reef organisms."
All four projects propose extending the existing shorelines hundreds of feet into the ocean, burying nearshore corals and hardbottom communities. The sand needed to cover over 26 miles of beaches would be obtained by dredging in numerous areas near offshore coral reefs. The Indian River County project alone would bury over 57 acres of coral and dredge into areas known to contain fragile Oculina corals. The two projects slated for Palm Beach County (Midtown Beach and Phipps Ocean Park) include dredge sites that have sewer lines running through them.
"All four projects as proposed are disasters-in-the-making," states Mr. Stone. "Dredging so close to coral reefs and within 100 feet of sewer lines will result in even the slightest stray off course causing large amounts of damage. One of the proposed dredging sites has over 40 corners or turns that the dredge operator must successfully negotiate to avoid hitting coral reefs."
The Broward County beach renourishment project also includes a proposal to install t-shaped groins at John U. Lloyd State Park to stabilize the shoreline. However, experts from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have expressed concern that these structures, consisting of submerged rock near the shore, would inhibit nesting and hatching marine turtles.
"The possible extent of damage to South Florida's ecosystems by these projects is unprecedented," states Mr. Stone. "Even if every project ran completely smoothly, with no accidents or unexpected impacts, the extent of damage would be tremendous."
The placement of concrete blocks to make artificial reefs is being offered as mitigation for the projects. "The proposals to put bare concrete boulders in the water as mitigation for the burial of coral reefs in no way replaces that valuable habitat," states Mr. Stone. "Corals have been flourishing off South Florida for hundreds of years and, due to their slow growth rates, will take many years to replace."
ReefKeeper International is urging concerned citizens to become involved. Petitions have been placed in dive shops throughout the affected three counties. Fact sheets and materials to facilitate the writing of letters to decision-makers is also available from ReefKeeper International. To obtain the most up-to-date information, a listserve is available on the web at http://[email protected] or via e-mail at [email protected].
"The possible extent of damage to South Florida's ecosystems by these projects is unprecedented," states Mr. Stone. "Even if every project ran completely smoothly, with no accidents or unexpected impacts, the extent of damage would be tremendous and completely unacceptable."
MIAMI - ReefKeeper International, the non-profit coral reef conservation organization, has developed a campaign to generate public support for the creation and implementation of management plans for the Mona Island and Desecheo Island Marine Natural Reserves. To voice their support got to the Mona/Desecheo Islands ReefAlert!. The ReefAlert! includes a group endorsement letter and petition forms urging the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources to approve and implement management plans for the two marine reserves to save their precious coral reef resources.
"The coral reefs surrounding Desecheo and Mona Islands are some of the most pristine and diverse in the Caribbean," asserts Alexander Stone, Director of ReefKeeper International. "However, the quality of these reefs will not remain if protection from human impacts is not provided."
In October 1997, the Puerto Rico Planning Board approved ReefKeeper International's request to expand the Mona Island terrestrial Natural Reserve to include the coral reefs and marine waters up to 9 miles out from Mona Island. In March 2000, the Puerto Rico Legislature created the Desecheo Island Marine Natural Reserve to encompass the marine waters within one-half mile of Desecheo island.
But development of management plans for the two marine reserves, including no-take areas and ship no-traffic zones, is deemed crucial to making these good intentions a reality. "By limiting commercial fishing, prohibiting extraction of live rock, stopping waste dumping and installing mooring buoys, damage to Desecheo and Mona's reefs can be avoided," explained Mr. Stone. ReefKeeper International is urging the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources to make approval of management plans with those measures for Desecheo and Mona a high priority.
ReefKeeper International, the non-profit coral reef conservation organization, has formally requested the establishment of two marine reserves in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Both proposed "no-take" areas, one located off southeast St. Thomas and one located off east St. Croix, contain well-developed coral reefs and lush seagrass beds. ReefKeeper International has launched a grassroots petition drive to spur approval of the reserves by the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources. A free USVI Campaign Action Kit is available from ReefKeeper International.
"The waters off southeast St. Thomas and east St. Croix contain some of the beautiful coral reefs in the Caribbean," says Alexander Stone, Director of ReefKeeper International. "Both areas display a high diversity and abundance of reef fish, but are threatened by overfishing in the region."
The requested Southeast St. Thomas Marine Reserve would be bounded within a line running from Long Point to Buck Island (St. Thomas) to Capella Island to Dog Island to Great St. James Island to Cabrita Point. This expanded reserve would include the existing Compass Point Pond, Cas Cay and Mangrove Lagoon, and the St. James Islands Marine Reserves and Wildlife Sanctuaries, which were designated by the Government of the United States Virgin Islands in 1994.
Expansion of existing protection is also included in the requested East End St. Croix Marine Reserve. Buck Island (St. Croix) National Monument includes 700 acres of submerged land. ReefKeeper International's request would encompass approximately 48 nm 2 from Milford Point to west of Green Cay, and encompassing Lang Bank, Tague, Great Pond, Jacks, and Isaacs bays, East and Isaacs points, Buck Island (St. Croix), and Green Cay.
"Both sites have been nominated for designation as National Marine Sanctuaries." says Mr. Stone. "However, funding for new sanctuaries is very limited and the process is extremely slow. The establishment of marine reserves in these areas can be achieved much more quickly through the USVI territorial government. Additional measures need to be urgently implemented if the outstanding resource values that prompted the National Marine Sanctuary nominations for these two areas are to be preserved from loss and degradation."
A free USVI Marine Reserve Campaign Action Kit for the proposed Southeast St. Thomas and East End St. Croix Marine Reserves and copies of the designation requests can be obtained from ReefKeeper International's website, www.reefkeeper.org, or by writing to 2809 Bird Avenue, Suite 162, Miami, Florida, 33133, telephoning (305) 358-4600, or e-mailing [email protected]
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is being urged by ReefKeeper International, the non-profit coral reef conservation organizations, and others concerned about the environment to shorten the phase out of fish traps in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The National Marine Fisheries Service recently rejected a portion of a Gulf Council proposal to eliminate fish traps in federal waters south of Cape Sable within two years. To demonstrate the widespread support for a reduced phase-out, ReefKeeper International has launched a campaign to promote public awareness and grassroots support to urge the Gulf Council to submit a revised proposal addressing the deficiencies in the document. ReefKeeper International is offering a free Gulf Council Fish Trap Campaign Action Kit to facilitate voicing that support.
"Wire mesh fish traps destroy habitat, kill juvenile fish, have high levels of bycatch [unwanted fish], and have unenforceable regulations," states Alexander Stone, Director of ReefKeeper International. "Unfortunately, the documents submitted to the National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) by the Gulf Council did not contain sufficient detail of these adverse impacts to get the reduced phase-out approved."
The use of wire mesh fish traps results in the destruction of live bottom caused by the dragging of grapple hooks to locate and retrieve hidden, unbuoyed traps. When hauled to the surface, these traps contain dead and dying juvenile snappers and groupers who could not escape from traps with 2-inch mesh. Also included in the traps are dead and dying angelfish, butterflyfish, and many other tropicals which can comprise up to 54% of the fish caught in traps. These tropicals are simply tossed overboard as bycatch.
Regulations as part of the 1996 Sustainable Fisheries Act require the Gulf Council to eliminate, or at least minimize, adverse impacts of fishing gears to habitat deemed essential for fish, including coral reefs. The Council must also implement measures to eliminate, or at least minimize, bycatch of unwanted species.
As noted in public testimony to the Gulf Council by numerous law enforcement personnel and others, current escape gap and mesh size regulations are impossible to enforce. Fish traps are often not buoyed, allowing them to be hidden where compliance can't ever be verified, and they are never returned to the dock for inspection.
"The disapproval of the Gulf Council's reduced phase out plan was based primarily on an incomplete conservation benefits section," says Mr. Stone. "A resubmitted document will likely get approved but the Gulf Council needs to hear public support to revisit this issue."
ReefKeeper International, the non-profit coral reef conservation organization, has formally requested that the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) protect an aggregation of spawning tiger groupers from fishing. The tiger grouper spawning aggregation off the southeast coast of Puerto Rico, approximately 5.5 miles east of Vieques Island in territorial waters, was first discovered by a local diver in the 1980s. Located at a promontory of a deep reef known locally as El Seco, tiger grouper can be seen aggregating from 2-8 days after the full moon from January to April. In conjunction with the request to DNER, ReefKeeper International has launched a campaign to promote public awareness and grassroots support for this proposal.
"We have requested that fishing be prohibited in this location during the spawning season, " states ReefKeeper International's director Alexander Stone. "This action will prevent the elimination of this spawning aggregation, ensure that a sufficient number of males are present to produce future generations, and rebuild tiger grouper populations."
Spawning aggregations represent a large concentration of fish over a small area for the express purpose of reproduction. Many reef fish species only reproduce when aggregated during a very narrow period of time.
There is considerable evidence that unprotected spawning aggregation can -- and have been -- fished out of existence. The risks to spawning aggregations are greatest for stocks which are already overfished. Based on anecdotal reports by fishers as well as the expert opinions of many scientists, groupers and snappers are overfished in waters off Puerto Rico. Very few of these animals are seen outside of these spawning aggregations.
Tiger groupers , like many other groupers, undergo sex reversal. Smaller individuals are female and larger individuals are male. 1998 data indicates that almost all fish caught from the El Seco aggregation were the more aggressive males. Continued or increased fishing may cause the males in the population to decrease to dangerous levels unless efforts are made to protect the them.
"The U.S. Caribbean Fishery Management Council, which has jurisdiction in federal waters from 9 miles to 200 miles from Puerto Rico, has recognized the importance of spawning aggregations and closed three such areas off Puerto Rico as well as three aggregation sites in the U.S. Virgin Islands," says Mr. Stone. "We hope the Puerto Rico DNER follows the Council's example and closes the El Seco tiger grouper spawning aggregation to fishing from January to April."
The U.S. Caribbean Fishery Management Council is exploring the possibility of reducing the number of wire-meshed fish traps used in federal waters near Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. To demonstrate the widespread support for a reduction, and eventual elimination of fish traps, ReefKeeper International, the non-profit coral reef conservation organization, has launched a campaign to promote public awareness and grassroots support for further action by the Council. ReefKeeper International is offering a free U.S. Caribbean Fish Trap ReefAlert! to facilitate voicing that support.
"Wire mesh fish traps destroy habitat, kill juvenile fish, have high levels of bycatch [unwanted fish], and have unenforceable regulations," states Alexander Stone, Director of ReefKeeper International. "Reducing the number of fish traps allowed, as a prelude to a total ban of this fishing gear, would be a great step forward for the Caribbean Council to take."
According to ReefKeeper, current escape gap and mesh size regulations are impossible to enforce. Fish traps are often not buoyed, allowing them to be hidden where compliance can't ever be verified, and they are never returned to the dock for inspection.
Regulations as part of the 1996 Sustainable Fisheries Act require the U.S. Caribbean Council to eliminate, or at least minimize, adverse impacts of fishing gears to habitat deemed essential for fish, including coral reefs. The Council must also implement measures to eliminate, or at least minimize, bycatch of unwanted species.
"Scientists and fishers agree that virtually every targeted reef fish species in the U.S. Caribbean is confirmed or strongly suspected of being overfished," states Mr. Stone. "Fish trap yields are down to 1% of what they used to be half a century ago and grouper and snapper spawning aggregations are decimated before the fish have a chance to reproduce. The elimination of wire mesh fish traps will be key to the rebuilding of reef fish populations."
For a free U.S. Caribbean Fish Trap Campaign Action Kit, including petitions, resolutions, and form letters, is available by writing ReefKeeper International, 2809 Bird Avenue - Suite 162, Miami, FL 33133, e-mailing [email protected], or on the web at www.reefkeeper.org. To receive meeting notices and other information on actions by the U.S. Caribbean Fishery Management Council, contact the Council office at 787-766-5926 .
CURACAO - Coral reef conservation organizations ReefKeeper International, based in Miami, Florida, and Reef Care Curaçao, based in the Netherlands Antilles, are pleased to announce the opening of the Netherlands Antilles Coral Reef Initiative (NACRI) 2000 listserve. The purpose of the NACRI_2000 listserve is to promote discussion and public awareness about establishing a country-level Netherlands Antilles Coral Reef Initiative in the year 2000. Subscriptions on the announcements and discussion list serve are free through http://NACRI_2000.listbot.com/.
"ReefKeeper International and Reef Care Curaçao have joined forces to push for the establishment of a national Coral Reef Initiative to protect the fragile coral reefs in the Netherlands Antilles," states Alexander Stone, Director of ReefKeeper International. "The NACRI_2000 list server will be a valuable tool to keep people informed of the process, bolster support, and have productive dialogues."
The goal of NACRI is to effectively coordinate interagency decision-making and monitoring affecting water quality, coastal development and other habitat issues in coral reef areas throughout the country. The proposed NACRI will be modeled after international efforts to assess and monitor coral reefs, develop precautionary management measures, and broaden public awareness to generate support for needed management measures.
Coral reefs are found off all five main islands in the Netherlands Antilles. In fact, all five islands boast marine parks that encompass a significant fraction of those coral reefs. But recent events, including major groundings by freighters and cruise ships in the last three years, coastal development and dredging, and wastewater pollution, highlight the need for country-wide government coordination and protection of these coral reefs.
Now is the time to begin implementation of regulations to protect all of the coral reefs of the Netherlands Antilles," says Mr. Menno van der Velde, President of Reef Care Curaçao. "A government-sanctioned Coral Reef Initiative will be a valuable step towards that protection. We urge people to become involved in the decision-making by joining the NACRI_2000 listserve."
To join the NACRI_2000 listserve, visit http://NACRI_2000.listbot.com and follow the directions. Further information can be obtained by contacting Reef Care Curaçao at Kaminda Yakima 14, Curaçao, Neth. Ant., telephone 599-9-736-8120, or e-mail [email protected]