This presentation is focused on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and its Regulatory Review Process. Visit our website to get involved: www.marinezoningworksforme.org

1. MARINE ZONING WORKS FOR ME
Balancing Natural Resource Protection and
Sustainable Uses for the Future of the Florida Keys
© Mac Stone © Daryl Duda

2. WHO’S BEHIND
MARINE ZONING WORKS FOR ME?
Organizing Members

3. The Florida Marine National Sanctuary
was designated by Congress in 1990.
It is adjacent to 3 national parks:
- Biscayne Bay National Park
- Dry Tortugas National Park
- Everglades National Park
Facts:
- Size- ~2900 sq nm
- Boundary: Mean High Water to 300’
depth ocean side, and 10 NM
westward.
- Partnership with the state of Florida
The purpose of OUR Sanctuary is to:
• Protect the resources of this area
• Educate and interpret this unique
environment for the public, and
• Manage human uses of the Sanctuary
THE FLORIDA KEYS NATIONAL MARINE
SANCTUARY est. 1990

4. FLORIDA KEYS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES
Crocodile Lake NWR
(1980)
National Key Deer
Refuge (1957)
Great White Heron
NWR (1938)Key West NWR
(1908)

5. Dry Tortugas National Park
Everglades National Park
Biscayne
National
Park
ADJACENT NATIONAL PARKS

6. • Community interest!
• Periodic evaluation and public
input is good management
• Science shows we can make
improvements in
management
• Emerging threats – climate
change, invasive species, new
marine uses
WHY CONDUCT THE
REGULATORY REVIEW?

7. • Protect, restore and
enhance natural habitats,
populations and
ecological processes
overall, and
• Facilitate public and
private uses of marine
resources and areas to the
extent compatible with
the primary objective of
resource protection
PURPOSE OF THE REGULATORY REVIEW

8. THE CASE FOR CONSERVATION

9. HOW CAN WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
•Improved Water Quality
•More Education
•Better Enforcement
•Active Habitat Restoration
•User Friendly Marine Zoning

10. CLEAN WATER IS THE LIFEBLOOD OF THE
FLORIDA KEYS
•Vessel Discharges (Sanctuary regulations)
•Wastewater (county and state regulations)
•Storm water (county and state regulations)
•Restoration of the Everglades ecosystem
(federal and state regulations and effort)

11. • Public education is key to protecting our Marine
Sanctuary
• Coral reefs, hard bottom communities, and seagrass
meadows all suffer from impacts from boaters who are
not educated about the resources in the Sanctuary
• Providing a user friendly mandatory boater education
will reduce damage to Sanctuary resources from
anchoring and groundings
MORE EDUCATION

12. BETTER ENFORCEMENT
We need more
officers to
better cover
the vast marine
areas of our
Sanctuary
•Dumping/Discharges
•Fishing/Spear fishing
•Vessel Speed
•Personal Watercraft
•Vessel Access
•Touching/Standing on Coral
•Aquarium/Marine Life
Collection
•Derelict Vessels and Chugs
•Etc.

13. ACTIVE HABITAT RESTORATION
Coral RestorationSpongeRestoration
•Restoration helps corals, seagrass, sponges, and mangroves
•Zoning can help limit the need for restoration
•Zoning can protecting nursery areas and restoration sites

14. Marine Zoning Plan for Resource
Protection and Managing Uses
• Wildlife Management Areas
• Sanctuary Preservation Areas
• Ecological Reserves
• Special Use Areas (Research Only)
If we exclude the remote Dry Tortugas’
Ecological Reserve, only 1.5% of the FKNMS’
2900 square nautical miles is zoned in ways
to limit or restrict fishing

15. WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREAS (WMA’S)
Includes Shallow Water areas for Wildlife
and Habitat Protection
Habitat Protected: Seagrass, Shallow Corals,
Hardbottom, Beaches and Coastal Mangrove
Resources Protected: Marine Mammals,
Reptiles, Birds, Fishes and Threatened and
Endangered Species
• Establishment of new zones or removal of
obsolete zones?
• Examination of current zones for appropriateness
Current Evaluation Involves:
• Idle speed, no-motor, research/closed
Zones Types Include:

16. 1988
Tavernier Creek
Unmanaged
Kruer
2014
Tavernier Creek
No Wake Zone
and Wildlife
Management
Area
MARINE ZONING
WORKS!

17. 1996
Tavernier Creek
Unmanaged
2014
Tavernier Creek
No Wake Zone
and Wildlife
Management Area
MARINE ZONING
WORKS!

18. 1998
Garden Cove
Unmanaged
MARINE ZONING
WORKS!
2014
Garden Cove
Pennekamp SP
Non-combustion
Zone

19. SANTUARY PRESERVATION AREAS
(SPAs)
• 18 small limited/no fishing areas on the reef
• Popular diving and snorkeling areas
• Separate fishing from diving activities
• Provide mooring buoys to protect corals from anchors

20. •Success recorded in the
Tortugas in new no take
marine zones after only 5
years!
•Scientists documented a
large reformed mutton
snapper spawning
aggregation and witnessed
their spawning for the first
time in Florida
•There was a 400% increase
in mutton snapper spawning
biomass and a likely spillover
effect
ECOLOGICAL RESERVES WORK!
©Christopher Parsons

21. REEF CARNIVORES IN
ECOLOGICAL RESERVES
Mutton Snapper Black Grouper
SIZE MATTERS!

22. GET INVOLVED!
www.marinezoningworksforme.org
• Sign up for the mailing list to stay informed
• See if your group would like to become a member
• Spread the word with friends and neighbors
• Take part in future meetings
• Make official comments when the time comes
www.floridakeys.noaa.gov
Speaker’s contact info

23. REGULATORY REVIEW PROCESS TIMELINE
Sanctuary
Advisory
Council
(SAC)
kicks off
process
SAC
working
groups on:
marine
reserves,
shallow
water
habitat
protection,
coral
restoration
Other topics
covered in
SAC
meetings
Public input
SAC
Finalizes its
recom-
mendations
for the
public
agencies
Public input
Agency staff
develop
Draft
Environmental
Impact
Statement
with analysis of
potential zoning
and other
regulatory
changes and their
impacts on the
environment and
economy
Public
comment on
Draft
Environmental
Impact
Statement
Agency
review
and
response
to public
comment
Final
Environ-
mental
Impact
Statement
Revised
rules
and
zones
2012 2015 2015 to present 2017 (spring?) TBD TBD2013/2014
Public
comment on
Final
Environmental
Impact
Statement