the florida reef tract - tcrpc · protect southeast florida’s coral reefs and associated reef...
TRANSCRIPT
FL Coastal Office – SE Region
The Florida Reef Tract
February 2017
Joanna Walczak Florida Coastal Office – SE Region
Florida’s National Treasure
Florida Reef Tract
Florida’s National Treasure
What Are Corals?
1694
1850
1900
1950
2005
1800
1750
330+ Years Old!
Coral Health
Graphics By: www.ysi.com;
Coral Stress
Graphics By: www.ysi.com;
350+ miles of coral reefs!
Ecologically Diverse
More than 6,000 organisms:
70+ species of marine sponges 35+ species of octocorals 600+ species of invertebrates 400+ species of reef fish 45+ species of hard corals
Economically Essential
Serving ~6 million residents and 38+ million visitors
Estimated to annually support 71,000 jobs and generate $6.3 billion in sales and income (Johns et al, 2001 & 2004)
Global Threats
Ocean (& coastal) acidification
Increased frequency & severity of extreme
thermal events (hot & cold)
Local Threats
Global & Local Decline
Coral Reef Conservation Program
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• Promote and coordinate research, monitoring, partnerships, and stakeholder engagement/participation
• Represent FL on U.S. Coral Reef Task Force and U.S. All Islands Coral Reef Committee
• Lead response, assessment, restoration and mitigation efforts for non-permitted reef resource injuries (vessel groundings, etc.) - Florida’s Coral Reef Protection Act
• Administer FL’s Local Action Strategy – Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI)
~10
5 m
iles
Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative
MISSION:
To develop and implement an effective strategy to preserve and protect southeast Florida’s coral
reefs and associated reef resources, emphasizing balance
between resource use and protection, in cooperation with all
interested parties.
Non-Governmental Organizations
Environmental Non-Profits
Academic Entities
K -12 & Universities
Private Business
Contractors, Tourism,
Consultants, etc.
Fishing
Recreational, Commercial, & Fishing Clubs
Diving
Recreational, Charter, & Dive
Clubs
Other Groups
Citizens at Large, Surfing,
Ports, etc.
Agencies
County, State, & Federal
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SEFCRI Local Action Strategy (LAS)
SEFCRI’s Our Florida Reefs
68 science-based Recommended Management Actions developed by local stakeholders
www.OurFloridaReefs.org
March ’14 - June ‘16
June ‘13
Feb ‘16
June ’17 +
Coral Disease Outbreak: 2014 - ?
Unknown # octocorals & sponges
Some sites approx. fifty percent of all corals (up to eighty-five percent of individual spp.) are diseased
Patterns of lesions, issue mortality, and speed of progression varies significantly between type of
disease, species, & colony
Multiple diseases simultaneously (some new) – mainly white-plague like disease
species of stony (reef building) coral
Coral Disease Outbreak: 2014 - ?
** Note - Based on qualitative and quantitative reports **
Coral Disease Outbreak: 2014 - ?
** Note - Based on qualitative and quantitative reports **
Coral Disease Outbreak: 2014 - ?
** Note - Based on qualitative and quantitative reports **
95% + loss of known wild
population
Coral Disease Outbreak: 2014 - ?
Reported as effectively dead (5% tissue remaining) in
Dec 2015
95+ percent loss of known wild
population
Coral Disease Outbreak: 2014 - ?
Sites Monitored:
*Additional information on the breakdown of these numbers is available. ** This only includes FRT-wide programs; it does not include citizen science reporting efforts, or the more localized data collection efforts, which would increase the total monitoring effort.
Coral Disease Outbreak: 2014 - ?
2014 2015 2016 FRRP 172* 275* 193* NCRMP 1152* 0* 282* CREMP 40 40 40 SECREMP 22 22 22
TOTAL 1386 337 537
- Broward County
- Coral Restoration Foundation
- Cry of the Water - Florida Aquarium
- Florida Atlantic University
- Florida Department of Environmental Protection
o Florida Coastal Office
o Florida Coastal Management Program
o Florida Park Service - Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
o Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
- Florida International University
- George Mason University - Keys Marine Laboratory
- Martin County
- Miami-Dade County
- Mote Marine Laboratory
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration o Coral Reef Conservation Program
o Coral Disease and Health Consortium
o Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
- National Park Service
o Biscayne National Park
o Dry Tortugas National Park
o South Florida/Caribbean Network
- Nova Southeastern University/National Coral Reef Institute - Palm Beach County
- Palm Beach County Reef Rescue - Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative
- Smithsonian Institute
- The Nature Conservancy
- United States Geological Survey o National Wildlife Health Center
o St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
- University of Florida
- University of Miami RSMAS - University of South Florida
Questions?
Joanna Walczak [email protected]
Photo Credits: J. Marino, P. Dustan, Q. Felty, D. Gilliam, B. Walker, K. Gregg, FWC, A. Seitz, J. Podis, K. Lane, et al.