floridakeys.noaa - microsofthe capacity of local tour operators to act as educators and foster...
TRANSCRIPT
Offic
ers
Boati
ng In
dustr
y: Br
uce P
opha
m (C
hair)
Al
terna
te: M
ichae
l Mar
tin
Fishin
g – C
omme
rcial
- Mar
ine/T
ropic
al:
Ken N
edim
yer (
Vice
Cha
ir)
Alter
nate:
For
rest
Youn
g Ot
her N
on-G
over
nmen
tal M
embe
rs
Citiz
en A
t Lar
ge –
Lowe
r Key
s: Da
vid H
awtof
Al
terna
te: W
alter
Dra
binsk
i
Citiz
en A
t Lar
ge –
Midd
le Ke
ys: D
olly G
arlo
Al
terna
te: M
arvin
Sch
indler
Ci
tizen
At L
arge
– Up
per K
eys:
Jim T
rice
Alter
nate:
Dav
id Ma
kepe
ace
Cons
erva
tion a
nd E
nviro
nmen
t: Jas
on B
ennis
Al
terna
te: va
cant
2009
ACC
OMPL
ISHM
ENTS
Flor
ida K
eys N
atio
nal M
arin
e San
ctua
ry su
rroun
ds th
e Flor
ida K
eys a
rchipe
lago a
nd su
ppor
ts on
e of th
e mos
t dive
rse
marin
e eco
syste
ms in
Nor
th Am
erica
. The
sanc
tuary
is ho
me to
the c
ontin
ent’s
only
living
cora
l bar
rier r
eef a
nd be
ckon
s dive
rs fro
m ar
ound
the w
orld.
The
shall
ow w
aters
of the
2,90
0-sq
uare
nauti
cal m
ile sa
nctua
ry als
o con
tain m
angr
ove f
ringe
d isla
nds a
nd lu
sh
seag
rass
mea
dows
. Tog
ether
, thes
e com
plex e
cosy
stems
prov
ide th
e bas
is for
the v
aluab
le tou
rism
and f
ishing
indu
stries
that
are v
ital to
Flo
rida’s
econ
omy.
Estab
lishe
d Nov
. 16,
1990
.
SOUT
HEAS
T RE
GION
AL P
RIOR
ITIE
S Sc
ience
Sta
ff Pr
ovid
e Sup
port
for S
outh
east
Reg
ion
The S
outhe
ast R
egion
of th
e NOA
A Of
fice o
f Nati
onal
Marin
e San
ctuar
ies pr
ovide
s dire
ct su
ppor
t to th
e san
ctuar
y site
s thr
ough
its
regio
nal s
cienc
e coo
rdina
tors,
who a
re ac
tive i
n a w
ide ra
nge o
f pro
jects
withi
n NOA
A as
well
as w
ith ot
her a
genc
ies an
d aca
demi
a. In
2009
, the r
egion
’s sc
ience
coor
dinato
r wor
ked t
o sup
port
the sc
ience
prog
ram
at Flo
rida K
eys N
ation
al Ma
rine S
anctu
ary,
in ad
dition
to
seve
ral n
ation
al ini
tiativ
es su
ch as
the S
outhe
ast A
tlanti
c and
Car
ibbea
n Reg
ional
Team
. The
regio
n’s as
socia
te sc
ience
coor
dinato
rs he
lped F
lower
Gar
den B
anks
Nati
onal
Marin
e San
ctuar
y pre
pare
an en
viron
menta
l impa
ct sta
temen
t that
will s
uppo
rt the
site’
s pr
opos
ed sa
nctua
ry ex
pans
ion; r
epre
sente
d the
sanc
tuary
on N
OAA’
s Gulf
of M
exico
Reg
ional
Colla
bora
tion T
eam;
serve
d as t
he co
-ch
ief sc
ientis
t for t
he G
ray’s
Ree
f san
ctuar
y cru
ise ab
oard
the N
OAA
ship
Nanc
y Fos
ter t
hat s
uppo
rted f
our s
epar
ate re
sear
ch pr
ojects
an
d inv
olved
12 or
ganiz
ation
s and
nume
rous
volun
teers;
and h
elped
lead
an ac
ousti
c stud
y of fi
sh m
ovem
ent u
nder
way a
t Gra
y’s R
eef.
Colla
bora
tive E
fforts
Help
Pro
tect
U.S
. Cor
al Re
efs
The r
egion
has b
een a
n acti
ve pa
rt of
the U
.S. C
oral
Reef
Task
For
ce an
d has
wor
ked c
losely
with
NOA
A’s C
oral
Reef
Cons
erva
tion
Prog
ram
to he
lp im
pleme
nt pr
ogra
ms an
d stee
r the
futur
e dire
ction
of th
e Unit
ed S
tates
’ cor
al re
ef pr
otecti
on ef
forts.
The
Sou
theas
t Re
gion d
irecto
r cha
irs th
e lan
d-ba
sed s
ource
s of p
olluti
on ta
sk fo
rce w
orkin
g gro
up th
at ha
s dev
elope
d stra
tegies
for a
ddre
ssing
wate
r qu
ality
decli
ne in
cora
l reef
area
s of th
e U.S
. The
se co
llabo
ratio
ns w
ith th
e Cor
al Re
ef Ta
sk F
orce
and w
ith N
OAA’
s Cor
al Re
ef Co
nser
vatio
n Pro
gram
are t
estam
ent to
the i
mpor
tant r
ole th
at ou
r san
ctuar
ies pl
ay in
rese
arch
, edu
catio
n and
man
agem
ent o
f cor
al re
efs an
d in d
emon
strati
ng th
e suc
cess
of co
ral re
ef co
nser
vatio
n poli
cies.
Re
gion
al St
aff F
ocus
on
Clim
ate C
hang
e, Fi
sher
ies M
anag
emen
t Iss
ues
The r
egion
has t
aken
a lea
ding r
ole in
helpi
ng to
guide
loca
l, reg
ional
and i
ntern
ation
al re
spon
ses t
o clim
ate ch
ange
and i
ts im
pacts
. St
aff ha
ve be
en in
vited
to se
vera
l con
feren
ces a
nd pa
rticipa
ted in
pane
l and
roun
dtable
disc
ussio
ns w
ith st
ate go
vern
ments
, aca
demi
c ins
titutio
ns an
d con
serva
tion g
roup
s to h
elp di
rect
scien
ce an
d poli
cies i
n res
pons
e to c
limate
chan
ge an
d its
impa
ct on
coas
tal an
d ma
rine e
nviro
nmen
ts. T
hese
effor
ts ha
ve he
lped t
o pro
mote
the va
lue of
the s
anctu
ary s
ystem
as se
ntine
l site
s, loc
ation
s with
partic
ular
impo
rtanc
e in u
nder
stand
ing an
d mon
itorin
g clim
ate ch
ange
impa
cts on
mar
ine ec
osys
tems.
The r
egion
also
repr
esen
ted th
e Offic
e of
Natio
nal M
arine
San
ctuar
ies at
mee
tings
of S
outh
Atlan
tic an
d Gulf
of M
exico
regio
nal fi
sher
ies m
anag
emen
t cou
ncils
and c
ommi
ssion
s in
2009
. The
se op
portu
nities
have
ensu
red o
ur pa
rticipa
tion i
n reg
ional
habit
at mo
nitor
ing, c
atch a
sses
smen
t and
law
enfor
ceme
nt pr
ogra
ms es
tablis
hed b
y the
se or
ganiz
ation
s. Th
e mee
tings
have
also
show
n the
natio
nal m
arine
sanc
tuarie
s’ co
mmitm
ent to
fishe
ries
mana
geme
nt an
d con
serva
tion s
trateg
ies, a
nd to
fully
enga
ging r
esou
rce us
ers i
n san
ctuar
y man
agem
ent p
lans.
The S
outhe
ast
Regio
nal T
eam
also w
orke
d clos
ely w
ith th
e Flor
ida In
stitut
e of O
cean
ogra
phy,
the C
oral
Reef
Cons
erva
tion P
rogr
am an
d san
ctuar
y he
adqu
arter
s to k
eep S
eaKe
ys op
erati
ng, a
nd is
conti
nuing
to w
ork t
o inte
grate
the s
ystem
into
the N
OAA
Integ
rated
Oce
an O
bser
ving
Syste
m Ne
twor
k. Se
aKey
s is o
ne of
the l
onge
st-sta
nding
netw
orks
of oc
eano
grap
hic m
onito
ring s
tation
s.
FKNM
S AD
VISO
RY C
OUNC
IL M
EMBE
RS
Cons
erva
tion a
nd E
nviro
nmen
t: Chr
is Be
rgh
Alter
nate:
Pete
r Fre
zza
Divin
g – Lo
wer K
eys:
Don K
incaid
Al
terna
te: B
ob S
mith
Divin
g – U
pper
Key
s: Ro
b Mitc
hell
Alter
nate:
Rob
ert B
leser
Ed
ucati
on an
d Outr
each
: Mar
tin M
oe
Alter
nate:
Alex
Bryl
ske
Elec
ted C
ounty
Offic
ial: G
eorg
e R. N
euge
nt
Alter
nate:
Hea
ther C
arru
thers
Fishin
g – C
harte
r Fish
ing F
lats G
uide:
Rich
ard G
rathw
ohl
Alter
nate:
Step
hen F
riedm
an
Fishin
g – C
harte
r Spo
rts F
ishing
: Rob
ert S
imon
ds
Alter
nate:
Jim
Shar
pe
Fishin
g – C
omme
rcial
- She
ll/Sca
le: Je
ff Cra
mer
Alter
nate:
vaca
nt Fis
hing -
Rec
reati
onal:
Jack
Cur
lett
Alter
nate:
Bru
ce F
rere
r Re
sear
ch an
d Mon
itorin
g: Jo
n Faja
ns
Alter
nate:
Dav
id Va
ugha
n So
uth F
lorida
Eco
syste
m Re
stora
tion:
Jerry
Lore
nz
Alter
nate:
Jose
ph B
oyer
Su
bmer
ged C
ultur
al Re
sour
ces:
Core
y Malc
om
Alter
nate:
vaca
nt To
urism
– Lo
wer K
eys:
Bob H
olston
Al
terna
te: C
linton
Bar
ras
Tour
ism –
Uppe
r Key
s: va
cant
Al
terna
te: S
usan
For
d Ham
make
r
http
://flo
ridak
eys.n
oaa.g
ov
Sanc
tuar
y Com
bats
Illeg
al Po
achi
ng, R
emov
es A
ssoc
iated
Deb
ris
Two o
f Flor
ida’s
large
st lob
ster p
oach
ing bu
sts on
reco
rd to
ok pl
ace i
n 200
9, bo
th oc
curri
ng in
Flor
ida K
eys N
ation
al Ma
rine S
anctu
ary.
Poac
hers,
divin
g on i
llega
l artif
icial
struc
tures
know
n as c
asita
s, we
re ca
ught
harve
sting
mor
e tha
n 10,0
00 po
unds
of lo
bster
s in
two s
epar
ate ca
ses b
uilt b
y NOA
A an
d stat
e of F
lorida
enfor
ceme
nt off
icers.
The
se
struc
tures
on th
e sea
floor
are b
eliev
ed to
disru
pt the
migr
ation
of lo
bster
s and
caus
e the
m to
cong
rega
te on
artifi
cial h
abita
t, res
ulting
in in
creas
ed po
achin
g. Ca
sitas
also
smoth
er
the se
afloo
r on w
hich t
hey a
re pl
aced
, and
whe
n disr
upted
by st
orms
have
the p
otenti
al to
dama
ge va
luable
mar
ine re
sour
ces.
Summ
er 20
09 al
so m
arke
d the
end o
f a th
ree-
year
de
bris
remo
val p
rojec
t in w
hich r
emote
sens
ing w
as us
ed to
loca
te ca
sitas
. The
NOA
A Fis
herie
s Res
torati
on C
enter
, with
supp
ort fr
om th
e NOA
A Ma
rine D
ebris
Pro
gram
, the
sanc
tuary
and o
ther s
tate a
nd fe
dera
l age
ncies
, ove
rsaw
the id
entifi
catio
n and
remo
val
from
sanc
tuary
water
s of 8
9 ton
s of il
legal
gear
plac
ed by
poac
hers.
Sa
nctu
ary E
nlist
s Com
mun
ity in
Res
pons
e to
Lion
fish
Inva
sion
Th
e firs
t Indo
-Pac
ific lio
nfish
sigh
ting i
n Flor
ida K
eys N
ation
al Ma
rine S
anctu
ary w
aters
was c
onfirm
ed in
Janu
ary 2
009.
This
non-
nativ
e, inv
asive
fish h
as no
know
n pre
dator
s in
the A
tlanti
c, an
d res
earch
ers a
re co
ncer
ned a
bout
its po
tentia
l to di
srupt
the fr
agile
ba
lance
of th
e cor
al re
ef ec
osys
tem if
left u
nche
cked
. The
sanc
tuary,
in co
njunc
tion w
ith
NOAA
’s Na
tiona
l Cen
ters f
or C
oasta
l Oce
an S
cienc
e, the
non-
profi
t org
aniza
tions
Ree
f En
viron
menta
l Edu
catio
n Fou
ndati
on an
d Mote
Mar
ine T
ropic
al Re
sear
ch La
bora
tory,
and
other
state
and f
eder
al ag
encie
s, im
pleme
nted a
n ear
ly de
tectio
n and
rapid
resp
onse
plan
to
help
contr
ol es
tablis
hmen
t of th
is un
welco
me vi
sitor
. An
nual
Rese
arch
Exp
editi
on S
urve
ys C
oral
Healt
h Th
e 200
9 ann
ual F
lorida
Key
s Nati
onal
Marin
e San
ctuar
y Cor
al He
alth S
urve
y abo
ard t
he
NOAA
ship
Nanc
y Fos
ter m
onito
red c
oral
reef
healt
h alon
g the
Flor
ida R
eef T
ract
and
gathe
red d
ata on
dise
ase p
reva
lence
and b
leach
ing co
nditio
ns. W
hile a
varie
ty of
huma
n an
d env
ironm
ental
facto
rs ha
ve co
ntribu
ted to
the d
eterio
ratio
n of r
eef h
ealth
wor
ldwide
, dis
ease
and b
leach
ing ar
e amo
ng th
e lea
st un
derst
ood c
ulprits
. San
ctuar
y scie
ntists
wer
e joi
ned b
y res
earch
ers f
rom
Mote
Marin
e Lab
orato
ry, H
arbo
r Bra
nch O
cean
ogra
phic
Institu
te at
Florid
a Atla
ntic U
niver
sity,
the S
miths
onian
Insti
tute,
Geor
ge M
ason
Univ
ersit
y, Au
burn
Univ
ersit
y, the
Flor
ida D
epar
tmen
t of E
nviro
nmen
tal P
rotec
tion,
and t
he ci
ty of
Mara
thon.
This
scien
ce m
ission
also
hoste
d its
first N
OAA
“Tea
cher
at S
ea.”
Scien
tists
perfo
rmed
175 d
ives,
surve
ying c
orals
at 42
sites
thro
ugho
ut the
Key
s and
Dry
Tortu
gas.
Multib
eam
sona
r was
used
to m
ap po
rtions
of th
e Tor
tugas
Ban
k and
area
s betw
een K
ey
Wes
t and
Key
Larg
o.
Facil
ity A
ward
ed S
ilver
Lev
el Re
cogn
ition
Th
e Dr.
Nanc
y Fos
ter F
lorida
Key
s Env
ironm
ental
Com
plex i
n Key
Wes
t, Fla.
, hom
e of th
e Flo
rida K
eys N
ation
al Ma
rine S
anctu
ary a
dmini
strati
ve of
fice a
nd m
ainten
ance
build
ing,
south
east
regio
nal o
ffice,
and F
lorida
Key
s Eco
-Disc
over
y Cen
ter, h
as be
en re
cogn
ized a
s a L
eade
rship
in En
ergy
and E
nviro
nmen
tal D
esign
(LEE
D) ce
rtified
gree
n buil
ding a
nd
awar
ded a
LEED
Silv
er ra
ting b
y the
U.S
. Gre
en B
uildin
g Cou
ncil.
The s
anctu
ary’s
en
viron
menta
lly fr
iendly
offic
e com
plex h
as m
any “
gree
n” fe
ature
s. Na
tive p
lants
were
us
ed w
hen l
ands
capin
g the
grou
nds,
lesse
ning t
he ne
ed fo
r fer
tilize
rs an
d pes
ticide
s, an
d cis
tern w
ater is
used
whe
n flus
hing t
oilets
to he
lp co
nser
ve w
ater.
In ad
dition
, rec
yclab
le an
d sus
taina
ble gr
owth
prod
ucts
were
inco
rpor
ated i
nto th
e con
struc
tion o
f the b
uildin
g. Th
e san
ctuar
y is a
ctive
ly en
gage
d in i
ncre
asing
ener
gy ef
ficien
cy, r
educ
ing its
depe
nden
ce
on fo
ssil f
uels
and d
ecre
asing
impa
cts to
cora
l reefs
asso
ciated
with
gree
nhou
se ga
s em
ission
s.
Mutto
n Sn
appe
r Spa
wnin
g Se
en in
Tor
tuga
s Eco
logi
cal R
eser
ve
Sinc
e the
estab
lishm
ent o
f the T
ortug
as E
colog
ical R
eser
ve in
Flor
ida K
eys N
ation
al Ma
rine S
anctu
ary i
n 200
1, fis
hery
scien
tists
have
been
docu
menti
ng th
e effe
cts of
habit
at pr
otecti
on on
explo
ited p
opula
tions
of co
mmer
cially
impo
rtant
reef
fishe
s like
snap
per a
nd
grou
per.
Mutto
n sna
pper
has b
een t
he ta
rget
of a p
opula
r fish
ery i
n the
Flor
ida K
eys s
ince
the ea
rly 19
00s a
nd ha
ve hi
storic
ally a
ggre
gated
in pa
rts of
the T
ortug
as fo
r spa
wning
pu
rpos
es. B
y the
late
1990
s, fis
hery
surve
ys su
gges
ted th
at su
ch m
ass s
pawn
ing
aggr
egati
ons i
n the
Tor
tugas
had a
ll but
ceas
ed du
e to o
verfis
hing.
Sinc
e the
im
pleme
ntatio
n of th
e san
ctuar
y’s “n
o-tak
e” re
serve
, the n
umbe
rs of
mutto
n sna
pper
ob
serve
d hav
e slow
ly inc
reas
ed an
nuall
y. In
summ
er 20
09, fo
r the
first
time s
ince t
heir
surve
ys be
gan,
scien
tists
from
the N
OAA
Fishe
ries S
ervic
e and
the F
lorida
Fish
and
Wild
life C
onse
rvatio
n Com
miss
ion ob
serve
d tho
usan
ds of
indiv
idual
mutto
n sna
pper
sp
awnin
g ove
r two
cons
ecuti
ve m
onths
. This
was
the f
irst m
utton
snap
per s
pawn
ing
captu
red o
n rec
ord i
n Flor
ida.
New
Educ
atio
n In
itiat
ive T
arge
ts D
ive C
omm
unity
SC
UBA
diver
s and
snor
keler
s floc
k to t
he F
lorida
Key
s in t
he hu
ndre
ds of
thou
sand
s an
nuall
y to e
njoy t
he w
aters
of the
natio
nal m
arine
sanc
tuary,
mak
ing it
one o
f the w
orld’
s mo
st po
pular
dive
desti
natio
ns. T
o bett
er re
ach t
his im
porta
nt us
er gr
oup,
the sa
nctua
ry lau
nche
d Blue
Star
, an e
duca
tion p
rogr
am to
reco
gnize
char
ter op
erato
rs tha
t wor
k to
prote
ct the
cora
l reef
ecos
ystem
of th
e Flor
ida K
eys b
y pro
motin
g pro
per r
eef e
tique
tte an
d ed
ucati
ng th
eir cu
stome
rs ab
out th
e ree
fs, th
e san
ctuar
y and
its re
gulat
ions.
Staff
me
mber
s of B
lue S
tar op
erato
rs ar
e req
uired
to pa
rticipa
te in
sanc
tuary
traini
ng an
nuall
y an
d, in
turn,
impa
rt the
ir kno
wled
ge to
their
custo
mers.
Rec
ogniz
ed op
erato
rs mu
st off
er
cons
erva
tion-
relat
ed di
ve co
urse
s and
partic
ipate
in ac
tivitie
s suc
h as f
ish co
unts
and r
eef
clean
-ups
. The
Blue
Star
prog
ram
helps
build
the c
apac
ity of
loca
l tour
oper
ators
to ac
t as
educ
ators
and f
oster
resp
ect a
nd un
derst
andin
g amo
ng th
eir cu
stome
rs, tu
rning
dive
rs an
d sn
orke
lers i
nto co
ral re
ef ste
ward
s. Fo
r mor
e info
rmati
on, v
isit w
ww.sa
nctua
ryblue
star.o
rg.
Seaf
arin
g Hi
stor
y Tau
ght i
n Un
derw
ater
Arc
haeo
logy
Tra
inin
g
In su
mmer
2009
, the N
OAA
Mariti
me H
erita
ge P
rogr
am su
ppor
ted N
autic
al Ar
chae
ology
So
ciety
traini
ngs i
n Flor
ida K
eys N
ation
al Ma
rine S
anctu
ary f
or m
embe
rs of
the N
ation
al As
socia
tion o
f Blac
k Scu
ba D
ivers
(NAB
S) an
d san
ctuar
y staf
f. The
cour
se is
desig
ned t
o tea
ch pr
incipl
es an
d pra
ctice
s of m
aritim
e arch
aeolo
gy. P
artic
ipants
lear
ned h
ow to
iden
tify
cultu
ral re
sour
ce si
tes, a
s well
as te
chniq
ues i
n und
erwa
ter m
appin
g, co
nser
vatio
n and
re
portin
g. Th
e cou
rse in
clude
d clas
sroom
activ
ities a
nd fie
ld se
ssion
s tha
t wer
e con
ducte
d on
the F
lorida
Key
s Nati
onal
Marin
e San
ctuar
y Ship
wrec
k Tra
il. Th
e tra
ining
for N
ABS
memb
ers i
s par
t of a
new
Offic
e of N
ation
al Ma
rine S
anctu
aries
educ
ation
initia
tive —
“V
oyag
e to D
iscov
ery”
— to
explo
re th
e mar
itime h
erita
ge of
Afric
an-A
meric
ans a
nd
enga
ge th
e com
munit
y in m
arine
reso
urce
cons
erva
tion.
Tu
rnin
g St
uden
ts in
to C
oral
Reef
Ste
ward
s Flo
rida K
eys N
ation
al Ma
rine S
anctu
ary c
ontin
ued t
o brin
g oce
an en
richm
ent to
the
stude
nts of
the F
lorida
Key
s thr
ough
Cor
al Re
ef Cl
assro
om, it
s lon
gest-
runn
ing ed
ucati
on
prog
ram.
Thr
ough
clas
sroom
and o
n-the
-wate
r acti
vities
, midd
le sc
hool
stude
nts le
arn
abou
t the d
iverse
and f
ragil
e natu
re of
the c
oral
reef
ecos
ystem
. A gr
ant fr
om M
ote M
arine
La
bora
tory’s
Pro
tect O
ur R
eefs
prog
ram
throu
gh th
e San
ctuar
y Frie
nds F
ound
ation
of th
e Flo
rida K
eys m
ade i
t pos
sible
for st
uden
ts to
learn
basic
cora
l reef
biolog
y and
conc
epts
of ha
bitat
inter
depe
nden
ce. F
ield a
ctivit
ies su
ch as
snor
kelin
g, a p
lankto
n tow
, and
the
colle
ction
and a
nalys
is of
water
quali
ty da
ta en
cour
ages
analy
tical
think
ing, a
nd
demo
nstra
tes th
e nee
d for
man
agem
ent to
prote
ct na
tural
reso
urce
s.
P
BS&J
F
razie
r Nive
ns, O
cean
Imag
ing
Co
ry W
alter
(MML
)
La
rry B
enve
nuti