3 research outputs found
Scarring of Florida’s seagrasses: assessment and management options
Management programs that address scarring
of seagrasses should be based on an approach that
involves (1) education, (2) channel marking,
(3) increased enforcement, and (4) limited-motoring
zones. Aerial monitoring and photography of
the managed area are essential in evaluating the
effectiveness of a program. Management programs
that use this multifaceted approach have been
instituted by a few local governments and at several
state parks. Initial results of the programs
indicate that in some areas seagrass scarring has
been reduced but that in other areas emphasis may
need to be increased on one or more of the components
of the four-point approach. A statewide
management plan is needed to address the most
egregious scarring over large areas that may be
difficult to regulate at the local-government level
The use of large artificial reefs to enhance fish populations at different depths in the Florida Keys
This study showed that large prefabricated units and concrete rubble patch reefs, placed as artificial marine habitats on sand bottom, greatly enhance the abundance, diversity, and biomass of fish in an area. Densities of individuals and biomass were found considerably higher at artificial reefs than at nearby, natural, bank reefs, a result consistent with other studies. Location, depth, and vertical profile are important factors determining fish assemblages at artificial habitats in the Keys. Fishes were both produced at artificial reefs and attracted from the surrounding area. Fish assemblages at the Hawk Channel artificial reefs were considerably different from those on the offshore reef tract, particularly in terms of dominant species. Rescue of the original 1992 work in 2005 was funded by the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Prediction and Modeling Program
A Characterization of the Shallow-Water Coral Reefs and Associated Habitats of Puerto Rico
We mapped bottom types and shelf zones of 1600 km2 or about one fourth of Puerto Rico’s insular shelf from the shoreline to the shelf edge. Overall map accuracy for these bottom types is estimated as 93.6% correct. Maps were produced through visual interpretation of benthic features using orthorectified aerial photographs within a Geographic Information System with customizable software. The maps are one component of an integrated mapping and monitoring program underway by NOAA and its partners in the US Coral Reef Task Force to assess all US reef ecosystems. Maps are currently being used to enhance coastal research and management activities in Puerto Rico such as fisheries assessments and designation of important fish habitats