24th Annual Membership Meeting
All Reef Relief Members are cordially invited to the 24th Annual Reef Relief Membership Meeting Monday, July 18, 6pm-9pm Pier House Resort Caribbean Spa Room, 1 Duval Street, Key West Hear the annual State of the Reef Address, presentations by MOTE, FKNMS, and more… Join us this evening as we celebrate our marine environment […]
Divers seek protection for patch reef
Snapper Ledge known for its diversity of fish and corals BY TIMOTHY O’HARA. Key West Citizen July, 6, 2011 Upper Keys divers and conservationists are ramping up their efforts to create a no-fishing area on one of the Florida Keys’ most spectacular patch reefs, Snapper Ledge. They lobbied the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary two […]
Coral Reef Facts: July 5, 2011 – Cubera Snapper
Coral Reef Fact: The Cubera Snapper (Lutjanus cyanopterus) is “oviparous, releasing pelagic eggs into offshore waters at spawning aggregation sites.” At these sites hundreds to thousands of fish meet to spawn. “The eggs hatch within a day of fertilization, producing pelagic larvae that are dispersed by the currents.” “Whale sharks are known to feed […]
We call it the ‘Blue Planet’, but only 1.3 per cent of our oceans are protected — and so far, mainly just on paper
New handbook for marine protected areas marks start of worldwide campaign ‘Homes for Whales and Dolphins’ wildelifeextra.com. July 2011. “Marine protected areas are steadily getting bigger which is good news for large marine predators with big habitats. Comparing the top 15 areas in 2005 to 2011, the average size has gone from just over 100,000 […]
Bahamas bans commercial shark fishing
By Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post. Tuesday, July 5, 10:47 AM The Bahamas announced Tuesday morning it would end all commercial shark fishing in its waters, an area that encompasses more than 240,000 square miles. The move — under which only the catch and release of sharks is permitted — marks the second time in two weeks that […]
Mixed news for Keys beach-water quality
By LARRY KAHN. KEYNOTER The Natural Resources Defense Council on Wednesday released its annual survey of beach-water quality and public notification of health advisories against swimming or complete closures, and it’s a mixed bag for the Florida Keys for 2010. Overall, the council ranked Florida as having the sixth-best beach-water quality among the 50 states. […]
The world’s most important corals in need of conservation
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 11 January 2011 06.00 GMT Towering furry pillars, glowing tentacles and species that look like human brains are listed among the 10 most important evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered (Edge) tropical coral species that conservationists say are in most urgent need of saving. See the gallery and learn more
‘Shocking’ state of seas threatens mass extinction, say marine experts
Overfishing and pollution putting fish, sharks and whales in extreme danger – with extinction ‘inevitable’, study finds Fiona Harvey, environment correspondent. guardian.co.uk,Monday 20 June 2011 19.21 BST Fish, sharks, whales and other marine species are in imminent danger of an “unprecedented” and catastrophic extinction event at the hands of humankind, and are disappearing at a […]
U.S. Polluted Beach Closings, Warnings Spiked in 2010
WASHINGTON, DC, June 29, 2011 (ENS) – Polluted stormwater runoff and sewage overflows carrying oil, and human and animal waste fouled beaches around the country in 2010, causing the second-highest number of closing and advisory days in more than two decades, finds the Natural Resources Defense Council in its annual beachwater quality report issued today. […]
July 2011 Reef Relief News: Urgent Action Needed!
Photo: Reef Relief Urgent Action Needed! Our Nation’s first National Ocean Policy was established by President Obama last year. This momentous action will help the US to protect, maintain, and restore our ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes natural resources in to the future. Now, some members of Congress are attempting to stop implementation of the National […]