Alive
Corals are delicate structures composed of thousands of tiny slow-growing
animals called polyps. Each one secretes a calcareous exoskeleton.
Colonies of thousands of coral polyps form massive reef formations.
It can take years for some corals to grow one inch. The reef is
constantly growing new colonies on top of the skeletons of older
ones.
The coral reef ecosystem of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is alive with an abundance of fish, stony and soft corals, sponges, jellyfish, anemones, snails, crabs, lobsters, rays, moray eels, endangered sea turtles, dolphins, sea birds and other sea life. In fact, it is home to one third of Florida’s threatened and endangered species.
Mangroves
are salt-tolerant trees that provide a nesting area for a variety
of birds. The submerged roots are a nursery and breeding ground
for most of the marine life that migrates to the reef. Mangroves
trap and produce nutrients for food and habitat, stabilize the
shoreline by trapping debris and silt, and filter land-based pollutants.
Seagrasses are flowering marine plants that are an important part of the food web. They provide food for turtles, manatees, and a variety of fish, and habitat for filter-feeding organisms and foraging sealife such as sea urchins and sea cucumbers. Seagrasses are a nursery ground for pink shrimp, lobster, snapper and other sealife. They filter the water by trapping sediments, release oxygen into the water and stabilize the ocean bottom with their roots.
Diverse
Many cultural and historical resources are found within the Upper Keys Region of the Florida
Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Lighthouses were built along the Florida Keys prior to the
Civil War to prevent shipwrecks along the reef. The Carysfort Lighthouse off Key Largo is
still a navigational aid. Numerous shipwrecks and the remains of Spanish galleons
add to the variety of swimming, snorkeling, diving, photography and recreational boating
activities within the sanctuary. Among the many unique wreck sites are the USCG Cutters
Bibb and Duane off Key Largo.
Fragile
Coral, for all its sturdy appearance, is fragile and vulnerable. Reef building corals flourish
only in clear, clean, nutrient-free waters, usually between 25 degrees north and south of the
equator. Coral Reefs cannot withstand continued exposure to sea temperatures colder than
68º F (18º C) or warmer than 86º F (30º C), nor great changes in
water quality or salinity.
The Florida Keys is one of the most heavily-visited coral reefs in the world. Nowhere else in
the world are there so many people living so close to a coral reef. Nutrients from sewage,
agricultural runoff, fertilizers, stormwater and deteriorating Gulf waters reduce water quality.
Declining water quality reduces water visibility and the health of corals, seagrasses and all
sealife, and increases coral diseases and algal blooms. In addition, the physical impacts of
millions of annual divers, snorkelers, and fishermen who visit the coral reef ecosystem impact
it. The careless toss of an anchor can destroy years of coral growth in minutes. Even the
lightest touch with fins, hands, or equipment can damage sensitive coral polyps. Boats that
stray into shallow waters may dredge up the bottom, uprooting seagrasses. The noisy approach of
a boat or jet-ski can disturb nesting birds, exposing the eggs or nestlings to predators and the
intense sun. Disturbance of shallow feeding grounds can lead to the starvation of birds.
Monofilament line and trash wrapped around delicate corals can smother, abrade or break them.
Trash can be deadly for birds, fish, and turtles that become entangled or mistake it for foods
and ingest it.
In response to a growing awareness of the intrinsic environmental
and cultural value of our coastal waters, Congress created the
National Marine Sanctuary Program in 1972. The National Marine
Sanctuary Act authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to designate
special areas as national marine sanctuaries to promote comprehensive
management of their special ecological, historical, recreational,
and esthetic resources. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management is responsible
for management of the nation’s marine sanctuaries.
North America’s only coral barrier reef and the third longest
barrier reef in the world lies about six miles seaward of the
Florida Keys, a 220-mile long string of islands extending south
and west of the Florida mainland. Coral reefs contain more varieties
of life than any other marine environment. They are part of a
fragile interdependent ecosystem that includes mangroves and seagrasses
that grow both on the ocean and bayside of the Florida Keys. In
recognition of this important environment, the Florida Keys National
Marine Sanctuary was created in 1990, extending 2800 square nautical
miles on both sides of the Florida Keys.
A comprehensive management plan and water quality protection program was created for the
sanctuary in concert with the public, a citizen’s advisory council, and several federal,
state and local government agencies. Management in these state and federal waters is achieved
through a cooperative agreement with the State of Florida Department of Environmental
Protection. The Upper Keys Region encompasses the area from offshore Fowey Rocks to Conch Key.
