News & Notes
May 2010

  Hot Issues

Oil Spill Update: Safe for Now

The effects the Deepwater Horizon oil spill will have on the Florida Keys is still unknown, and predictions of when, and if, oil will reach the Keys change daily. Water from near the spill will eventually flow to the Keys, but the longer it stays out of the Loop Current, the better it is for our unique marine eco-system. Currently, there is no imminent threat to the Keys.

NOAA officials are confident with exposure to heat, weather, dispersants and evaporation, any of the oil sheen presently in the Gulf Loop Current that got close to the Keys would likely transform into small tar balls. Tar balls, they said, would have a lot less impact than a major spill and are less toxic.

Sanctuary Friends is monitoring the situation and posting important information on our website. Visit www.sanctuaryfriends.org for best links, important facts, preparation, volunteer opportunities, trainings, meetings and contacts. More information can also be found at www.keysspill.com.

Our Amazing Ocean

Grouper Season Reopens

Recreational and commercial harvest of shallow-water groupers reopened in all Monroe County and Atlantic Ocean waters on May 1. The ban had been in effect since Jan. 1 to address overfishing of grouper in the Atlantic, and will run annually until the stock has recovered.

The closure, which covered black and red grouper, affected both commercial fishermen and recreational anglers from North Carolina to Florida during the main grouper spawning season. The much-debated ban stirred controversy because it corresponds with the busy time for Florida charter boat operators, a mainstay in a tourism-based economy.

The economic impact of the closure caused the National Marine Fisheries Service to delay implementing the seasonal ban until this year.

The effects of the ban - on grouper populations, as well as on Keys tourism - are yet to be determined.

About 75 people traveled to Tallahassee in April for "Florida Keys Days" to lobby the state Legislature. The group included Monroe County and Islamorada commission members, Key Largo Wastewater District officials, School Board members, GLEE officials and other advocates.

The primary goal of the advocacy event was to inform the Florida Legislature of the uniqueness of Monroe County and the Florida Keys, its value and contributions to the state as a whole and its significant problems that require the help of the Legislature to address.

The group lobbied the state Legislature to extend a state-mandated deadline to upgrade wastewater systems and pass a bond that could bring $200 million to the Keys for wastewater projects. Monroe County government officials also urged the state to allow them to bring a referendum before the voters that would allow Keys governments to add another penny in sales tax, with proceeds going to wastewater and stormwater projects.

FIRM (Fair Insurance Rates in Monroe County) visited with legislators and their aides to discuss the pending 2010 insurance legislation, focusing on their opposition to the insurance deregulation bills and support for continuing the 'file and use' insurance process, which requires Citizens Property Insurance to file for rate increases before passing them along to consumers.

NOAA Marine Debris Blog
Want to keep up with what NOAA is doing to reduce marine debris? Check out the blog from the NOAA Marine Debris Program. The purpose is to coordinate, strengthen, and increase the visibility of marine debris issues and efforts within the agency, its partners, and the public. Our own Team OCEAN has even made the blog a couple times (click here to view).

Sanctuary Friends Says "Thanks!"
Sanctuary Friends wants to thank meteorologist Bill Cottrill at the National Weather Service in Key West for his help putting together the recent Science Saturday event at the weather office. We also want to recognize Publix Supermarkets and Midland Radio for their sponsorship of this event. These two corporate sponsors have recognized the efforts of the National Weather Service to help keep our citizens safe by providing crucial weather information and the efforts of the Sanctuary Friends to help preserve and protect our beautiful coral reef and marine resources. We would also like to thank the following people whose hard work made this event possible: Todd Hitchins, Billy Causey, Bill and Bobbie Jahnes, Nick and Shara Busby, Peggy Russell and all the others who participated with outdoor displays and information. We are very appreciative of their efforts.

In addition, Sanctuary Friends would like to thank the beautiful people of Fury Water Adventures -- owners and staff alike -- for being the gracious host for our recent fundraiser aboard one of their fabulous catamarans. It was a great party and wonderful silent auction to benefit the FKNMS Mooring Buoy Program. We also want to thank the businesses that provided items for our silent auction.

Endangered Status Proposed for U.S. Loggerhead Sea Turtles
Florida beaches, which host the largest nesting population of loggerheads in the Northwest Atlantic, have seen a decline in nesting of more than 40 percent in the past decade. Loggerheads have declined by at least 80 percent in the North Pacific and could become functionally or ecologically extinct by the mid-twenty-first century if additional protections are not put into place.

Based on these and other statistics, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service recently issued a proposed rule to change the status of North Pacific and Northwest Atlantic loggerhead sea turtles from "threatened" to "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. government also proposed listing loggerhead sea turtles around the globe as nine separate populations, each with its own threatened or endangered status.

Human actions, including commercial fishing and habitat degradation, are pushing loggerheads towards extinction. Climate change threatens to make the situation even worse. In addition to demanding that the Fisheries Service protect sea turtles and their habitat under existing law, the groups are calling for comprehensive legislation that would protect U.S. sea turtles in ocean waters as well as on land.
Source: Oceana press release