Molasses Sanctuary Preservation Area

SANCTUARY AREAS Wellwood Restoration Research Sand Only Ecological Reserve Existing Management Area Sanctuary Preservation Area Sand (SPAs) Wildlife Lighted Management Area Marker 10 Shallow Sea Grass Rubble Shallow Sand 25' 35' Very Shallow Island 5'

18” Mooring Buoy 3 - 5ft. 40'-50' Spar Buoy 30” Yellow Sanctuary Buoy FKNMS Shipwreck Trail A Boating and Angling Guide to the

Molasses Reef Sanctuary Preservation Area

With certain exceptions, the following activities are prohibited Sanctuary-Wide: • Moving, removing, taking, injuring, touching, breaking, • Operating a vessel at more than 4 knots/no wake cutting or possessing coral or live rock. within 100 yards of a “divers down” flag. • Discharging or depositing treated or untreated sewage • Diving or without a dive flag. from marine sanitation devices, trash and other • Operating a vessel in such a manner which endangers materials life, limb, marine resources, or property. • Dredging, drilling, prop dredging or otherwise altering • Releasing exotic species. the seabed, or placing or abandoning any structure on • Damaging or removing markers, mooring buoys, the seabed. scientific equipment, boundary buoys, and trap buoys. • Operating a vessel in such a manner as to strike or • Moving, removing, injuring, or possessing historical otherwise injure coral, seagrass, or other immobile resources. organisms attached to the seabed, or cause prop • Taking or possessing protected wildlife. scarring. • Using or possessing explosives or electrical charges. • Having a vessel anchored on living coral in water less • Harvesting, possessing or landing any marine life than 40 feet deep when the bottom can be seen. species except as allowed by the Fish and Anchoring on hardbottom is allowed. Wildlife Conservation Commission Rule (68B-42 F.A.C.). • Except in officially marked channels, operating a vessel at more than 4 knots/no wake within 100 yards of residential shorelines, stationary vessels, or navigational aids marking reefs. With certain exceptions, the following activities are prohibited in the Molasses Reef Sanctuary Preservation Area: • Discharging any matter except cooling water or engine • Anchoring on living or dead coral, or any attached exhaust. organism. • Fishing by any means; removing, harvesting, or • Anchoring when a mooring buoy is available. possessing any marine life. • Bait fishing is allowed in SPAs by FKNMS permit. • Touching or standing on living or dead coral. The following activities are prohibited in Existing Management Area • Removing, taking, spearing, or otherwise damaging any • . coral, marine invertebrate, plant, soil, rock, or other • Possession of spearfishing equipment, except while material. However, commercial taking of spiny lobster passing through without interruption. and stone crab by trap and recreational taking of spiny lobster by hand or hand gear consistent with applicable State and Federal fishery regulations are allowed.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Mote Marine Laboratory - Fish and Wildlife Research Institute Tropical Research Laboratory This project was funded in part by a grant awarded 100 8th Avenue SE 24244 Overseas Highway from Mote Marine Laboratory's Protect Our Reefs St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 Summerland Key, Florida 33042 Grants Program, which is funded by proceeds from (727) 896-8626 305-745-2729 the sale of the Protect Our Reefs specialty license http://research.MyFWC.com http://isurus.mote.org/Keys plate. Learn more at www.mote.org/4reef.