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In this Issue:
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News & Notes
March 2010
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Our Amazing Ocean
Cold Takes Toll on Keys Marine Life
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Likely you’ve heard about, if not experience first
hand, the cold snap in the Florida Keys in January. The record chill that gripped South
Florida for two weeks has taken a heavy toll on marine life.
 Sustained cold water temperatures triggered severe
coral bleaching and even coral death. Temperatures in some nearshore areas of
the FKNMS dropped to 52 degrees F. for several days.
Coral bleaching occurs when stress causes corals to lose
their symbiotic algae. It is most frequently associated with elevated water
temperatures, but also occurs when water temperatures dip below the preferred
60-degree threshold. Corals can cope with gradual, seasonal temperature swings,
but more sudden jolts up or down can send corals into a tizzy.
Corals sometimes recover, but divers are already reporting
dead patches from the event. A cold-water bleaching and die-off hasn’t occurred
in Florida since the late 1970s.
Many
of the Florida Keys' signature diving destinations such as Carysfort, Molasses
and Sombrero reefs have escaped heavy losses, thanks to warming
effects of the Gulf Stream. But shallower reefs took a serious, perhaps
unprecedented hit.
Divers should be aware that bleached corals are
extremely vulnerable to additional stress. Seek
non-stressed areas and, as always, to pay careful attention not to touch
corals.
 Massive
fish kills also have been reported across the state. Losses have occurred in
the snook, permit, bonefish and grouper populations. According to the FWC, 368
manatees have died in Florida this year with at least 193 attributed to cold
stress. This is by far the largest die-off of manatees in recorded history.
The cold also affected sea turtles with an estimated
2,000 perishing. Turtles rely on the environment to regulate their body
temperature, so when the water gets too cold, turtle body systems shut
down. In order to "fix" the turtles, they must be removed from
the water, warmed up and eventually be released into the wild once water
temperatures normalize.
Sources: The Nature Conservancy, Huffington Post, Miami Herald, Key West Citizen, Science News, Key West Keynoter
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Hot Issues
Permit in Peril?
New Tagging Program & Proposed Regulations |
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Very little
data is available about permit populations in Florida; however, the Bonefish
& Tarpon Trust (BTT) hopes a new program will change that. Supported by a
grant from the Costa Del Mar sunglass company, BTT recently kicked off a five-year
statewide project to tag permit. (Despite its omission in the organization
name, permit is one of the fish supported by the BTT.) The trust will partner with the FWC to provide 6,000 tags to anglers
and guides.
Project organizers want to collect data that will
inform fishery managers on permit movements in Florida waters and provide them
with new data that might be applied to management zones. They want to know
whether permit that spawn on artificial reefs off Southwest Florida are the
same permit that inhabit the Florida Keys. They also want to know if permit are
a single population or several smaller regional groups.
In addition, BTT is turning its attention to improve the conservation outlook
of permit populations in Florida. Currently, harvesting of permit is not
regulated in federal waters and is a year round practice in local
regions. BTT is an advocate of regulating further than state waters as well
as deeming permit spawning season (April through June) as catch-and-release
only.
In December, the FWC drafted rules that would
regulate permit fishing in federal waters adjacent to state waters, including a
six-per-day bag limit. The FWC board may review the rule in June and hold a
final hearing on it in fall. The agency also is considering tighter
restrictions on spearfishing. According to the BTT, "Precautions
are necessary to sustain the fishery, and actions we take now can directly
impact the permit fishery's future."
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Alternative Spring Breakers Assist Team OCEAN by Robert Keeley, Team OCEAN Coordinator
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Ten
students from the University of Tampa spent their spring break assisting
the FKNMS Team OCEAN staff in removing marine debris from several sensitive
Sanctuary shorelines. These P.E.A.C.E.
Volunteers (People Exploring Active Community Experiences) helped by removing
entanglement and ingestion threats from sea turtle nesting habitats and
removing debris and entanglement threats from mangrove shorelines.
Fourteen miles west of Key West on
the Key West National Wildlife Refuge island of Boca Grande, the volunteers
collected 277 pounds of marine debris their first day! On the second day, the
weather cooperated and they visited one of the most remote beaches in the
Refuge where they collected 1,277 pounds of marine debris. Day three, the wind
picked up and the volunteers went ten miles east of Key West to hike the
shoreline of the FKNMS Western Sambos Ecological Reserve where they bagged 500 pounds.
On day four, the group traveled thirty-five miles east of Key West and then
kayaked the northern shoreline of award-winning Bahia Honda State Park where
they collected 300 more pounds of debris from the sensitive mangrove shoreline.
Despite all their hard work, the
students had a great time as stewards of these sensitive shorelines! All 11
volunteers (10 students and their faculty advisor) were awarded honorary
membership in Sanctuary Friends.
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Let's Say Thanks
This cool website gives you
an opportunity to send a free printed postcard to US military personnel
stationed overseas showing your support and appreciation for their service to
our country. Whether you’re for or against the war, our soldiers are in harms
way and need to know those of us back home support their efforts. It is free
and it only takes a second. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a
bunch of these? www.letssaythanks.com
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Our Mission
Sanctuary Friends Foundation of the Florida Keys supports the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
(FKNMS) in the preservation, restoration, and sustainable use of our
coral reef and marine ecosystems. We focus on development of community
support and advancement of public awareness, education, outreach and
scientific research. |
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blue & green occasions
celebrating the event...
honoring the
earth and sea
SERVING THE FLORIDA KEYS AND
KEY WEST
We invite you to hold your
special celebrations, business meetings and other occasions in a
meaningful way at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery
Center.
Our staff will help you celebrate in a green way, and your
donations
will help to give back to the “Sanctuary.” Call today to
reserve your
date and share your celebration with the earth and sea! Call
847-612-4712 or email.
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We want your input! If you have stories of note or just want to comment on our newsletter, please email: NewsletterEditor@SanctuaryFriends.org.
We're developing a Central Environmental Calendar for the Keys.
If you have an upcoming event with an environmental focus or that
relates to our fabulous Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, please
email: calendar@SanctuaryFriends.org. |
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Sanctuary Friends Foundation of the Florida Keys is a non-profit, 501(c)(3), tax-exempt organization (Tax ID# 59-2443959).
We take your privacy seriously. Your email address will never be sold, rented or given away. All our emails include an easy opt-out feature.
If you have activated spam filters in your email application, please add the following email to your address book: Sanctuary_Friends_Foundation_of_@mail.vresp.com.
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March is
Alternative Transportation Month.
Have you done your part this month to help the environment?
Become a Sanctuary Friend
and help support our coral reef
and marine ecosystems.
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| From the Board |
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Hello Sanctuary Friends:
Last month, it was my pleasure to
attend the open meeting of the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) in Islamorada.
It was impressive to hear the scope of the efforts of the research scientists
in learning about these sport fish which are so important to our ecosystem and
our economy - not only in the Sanctuary and the state, but in our region and
internationally.
Locally our "rainforest" of mangroves, seagrass beds
and coral reefs provide sustenance and habitat for a record catches of both
bonefish and tarpon. But they also support myriads of juveniles and adolescents
that eventually grow and migrate as far north and east as the area where the
Titanic sank and westward and south to Central America.
Sanctuary Friends supports the
Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, and it was a pleasure to see the recognition that
our organization was given for those efforts. The investment has been well
worth it. BTT is truly an organization that deserves our attention and support
of its goals.
For more information about what
the BTT is doing, read on. If you would like to support valuable true science
research like that being conducted by the BTT, please join us as a member of
Sanctuary Friends.
Warm regards,
Judy Halas
Secretary, SFFFK Board of
Directors
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| Upcoming Events |
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The first and only Florida
Keys Environmental Event Calendar is up and running! This community-wide resource allows any
environmentally-related organization or group to set up an account and post
events. We hope it will be THE place to find great activities to both support
and celebrate our precious local natural resources.
It's easy to add YOUR event. The first step is to request an account. Once you've been approved and
have selected a username and password, you can "add your group's
event to our calendar." Give it a try!
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Florida Keys Ocean Festival
Mar. 27, noon to sunset, Truman Waterfront at the
Eco-Discovery Center
Celebrate the ocean and Mote Marine Laboratory's 55th anniversary! Bring the kids, listen to great music and spend a few hours having
fun to celebrate our treasured waters! Free admission and free parking. This
day-long celebration will offer food, beer and cocktails, raffles, Mote's
Mobile Exhibit (with special touch tanks), kids activities, a kids' fishing
clinic, and local marine artists. www.keysoceanfest.org
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Earth Hour Lights Out
Mar. 27, 8:30-9:30 pm
Hundreds of millions of people around the world will come
together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite
simple—turning off their lights for one hour. The movement symbolizes that by
working together, each of us can make a positive impact in this fight,
protecting our future and that of future generations. www.myearthhour.org
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National Week
of the Ocean
April 4-10
www.national-week-of-the-ocean.org
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Earth Day
April 22
Visit the EPA’s website for a history of the holiday,
events, podcasts, tips and other Earth Day resources.
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Florida Keys Days in Tallahassee
April 20-21
A
two-day advocacy event and your best chance to get up close and
personal with lawmakers and staff who shape the policies that affect you! Florida Keys Days will be a pairing of both the public and private
sector presenting a unified voice to the Florida Governor and Legislature for
Monroe County’s unique needs, including wastewater policies and funding,
affordable housing and tourism initiatives. It’s an opportunity to lobby
legislators and network with state agencies. www.floridakeysdays.com
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Discover the Florida Keys through eco-friendly and historical excursions.
Thousands of islands ... thousands of stories
The
Eco-Discovery Center and Sanctuary Friends team up to take visitors on
journeys that will teach them about the history and natural wonders of
the 1,700 islands that are called the Florida Keys.
Learn underwater photography from an instructor who knows the secrets
of the reef, experience the rich history of writers that have called
Key West their home, discover nature's beauty as you kayak under the
moon through canopied mangrove islands or share a gourmet dinner with
local chefs who are dedicated to using organic, local and Floridian
delights.
For more information, call 305-289-2288 or e-mail to request a brochure.
www.ecodiscoverytoursfloridakeys.com
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EcoWeek 2010
Coming! Nov. 1-14, 2010
A Keys-wide event to educate and celebrate environmental preservation. Special activities in the Upper, Middle and Lower Keys. Inaugural event in 2010 to celebrate healthy living, a healthy planet and peaceable and sustainable communities. http://ecoweekfloridakeys.com
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Thank you
for your support!
Sanctuary Buddy $30
Jessica McCarron
Colleen Crawford
Kyle Stewart - Frantz
Marianne Mersch
Christine Crespo
Megan Frisque
Heather Ptak
Kaylyn Wilkin
Shahana Ansari
Sommer Kuhn
Logan Engle
Sanctuary Donor $100
John Edwards
Benefactors
Sanctuary Advocate $200
Billy & Laura Causey
Sean Morton
Sanctuary Advocate $300
Thomas N. Davidson
Sanctuary Patron $500
Harold and Mona Brewer
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