DOCSLIB.ORG

Fifty-Third Annual Report (2002) of the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Fifty-Third Annual Report (2002) of the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission Fifty-third Annual Report of the GULF STATES MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION For The Year 2002 The GULF STATES MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION is an organization of the five states whose coastal waters are the Gulf of Mexico. This Compact, authorized under Public Law 81-66, was signed by the representatives of the Governors of the five Gulf States on July 16, 1949, at Mobile, Alabama. The Commission's principal objectives are the conservation, development, and full utilization of the fishery resources of the Gulf of Mexico to provide food, employment, income, and recreation to the people of these United States. GULF STATES MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION FIFTY-THIRD ANNUAL REPORT (2002) to the Congress of the United States and to the Governors and Legislators of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas Presented in compliance with the terms of the Compact and State Enabling Acts Creating such Commission and Public Law 66 - 8lst Congress assenting thereto edited by: Cynthia B. Yocom Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission P.O. Box 726 Ocean Springs, Mississippi 39566-0726 (228) 875-5912 Preserving the Past •Planning the Future •A Cooperative Effort Charles H. Lyles A ward Recipients The Charles H. Lyles Award is awarded annually by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC) to an individual, agency, or organization which has contributed to the betterment of the fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico through significant biological, industrial, legislative, enforcement, or administrative activities. The recipient is selected by the full Commission from open nominations at the March meeting. The selection is by secret ballot with the highest number of votes being named the recipient. The recipient is awarded the honor at the annual meeting in October. CHARLES H. LYLES AWARD WINNERS Charles H. Lyles 1984 Theodore B. Ford 1985 J. Y. Christmas 1986 John Breaux 1987 John Ray Nelson 1988 LB. "Buck" Byrd 1989 Hugh A. Swingle 1990 John A. Mehos 1991 J. Burton Angelle 1992 Louis A. Villanova 1993 Theodore H. Shepard 1994 Edwin A. Joyce, Jr. 1995 Tommy D. Candies 1996 Walter M. Tatum 1997 Thomas L. Heffernan 1998 Trent Lott 1999 James Barkuloo 2000 Walter Fondren, III 2001 Jerald K. Waller 2002 iii Acknowledgments In submitting this Fifty-third Annual Report, the Commissioners wish to express their most sincere appreciation for the splendid cooperation of the Members of Congress and the Governors and Legislators of the Compact states. The Commission fully appreciates that such measure of success as has been attained in the past fifty-three years could not have been possible without such valued assistance. This acknowledgment is also extended to the directors and staffs of federal, state, and interstate agencies, and to representatives of all organizations and individuals who have contributed to the realization of the objectives of the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission. Respectfully submitted, Vernon Minton, Chairman Mike Ray, First Vice Chairman Billy Hewes, Second Vice Chairman Larry B. Simpson, Executive Director IV Table of Contents Charles H. Lyles Award .................................................. iii Acknowledgments ...................................................... iv Table of Contents ........................................................ v Commission Roster . vi Active Committees . vii Executive Director's Report ................................................ 1 Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP) .................. 3 Cooperative Interstate Fishery Management in the Territorial Sea of the Gulf of Mexico .......................................................... 4 Interjurisdictional Fisheries (IJF) Management Program ......................... 6 Fisheries Information Network (FIN) ........................................ 8 Joint GSMFC/Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Habitat Program .............................................................. 13 Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Marine Resources Division ............................................... 14 Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Marine Fisheries .............................................. 20 Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Office of Fisheries ............... 34 Mississippi Department of Marine Resources ................................. 43 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department ....................................... 50 National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office .................... 53 Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council ................................ 64 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ............................................ 66 Report on Examination of Financial Statements, Supplemental Data, Internal Control, and Compliance for the year ended December 31, 2002 ..................................................... 74 v Commission Roster Commission Officers Chairman: Vernon Minton First Vice Chairman: Mike Ray Second Vice Chairman: Billy Hewes Commissioners (order of listing - administrator, legislator, governor's appointee) ALABAMA Riley Boykin Smith Warren Triche Alabama Department of Conservation Louisiana House of Representatives & Natural Resources Thibodaux, LA Montgomery, AL Frederic L. Miller Walter Penry Shreveport, LA Alabama House of Representatives MISSISSIPPI Daphne, AL William Walker Chris Nelson Mississippi Department of Marine Bon Secour Fisheries, Inc. Resources Bon Secour, AL Biloxi, MS FLORIDA Billy Hewes Ken Haddad Mississippi Senate Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Gulfport, MS Commission Walter J. Blessey Tallahassee, FL Biloxi, MS Jeff Kottkamp TEXAS Florida House of Representatives Robert L. Cook Cape Coral, FL Texas Parks & Wildlife Department William Ward Austin, TX Tampa, FL J.E. "Buster" Brown LOUISIANA Texas Senate James H. Jenkins, Jr. Austin, TX Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Governor Appointee - Vacant Fisheries Baton Rouge, LA Staff Larry B. Simpson, Executive Director Ronald R. Lukens, Assistant Director Virginia K. Herring, Executive Assistant David M. Donaldson, Program Manager Nancy K. Marcellus, Administrative Assistant Steven J. VanderKooy, Program Coordinator Cynthia B. Yocom, Staff Assistant Jeffrey K. Rester, Program Coordinator Cheryl R. Noble, Staff Assistant Joseph P. Ferrer, III, Network Administrator Madeleine A. Travis, Staff Assistant Gregory S. Bray, Programmer/Analyst Deanna L. Valentine, Data Entry Clerk A. Mike Sestak, III, Programmer/Analyst Sharon L. Flurry, Data Entry Clerk Douglas J. Snyder, Survey Coordinator Gayle E. Jones, Receptionist Jason S. Keenum, Accountant vi Active Committees Executive Committee . Vernon Minton Mike Ray Billy Hewes Virginia Vail John Roussel Law Enforcement Committee ................................... Jeff Mayne, Chairman Larry Young, Vice Chairman Commercial/Recreational Fisheries Advisory Panel . Philip Horn, Commercial Chairman Vacant, Commercial Vice Chairman Grey Cane III, Recreational Chairman Randy Gros, Recreational Vice Chairman State-Federal Fisheries Management Committee .............. Larry B. Simpson, Facilitator Derelict Crab Trap Task Force ........................... Harriet M. Perry, Chairman Menhaden Advisory Committee ......................... William S. Perret, Chairman Stock Assessment Team . Joe Shepard, Chairman Striped Bass Technical Task Force . Doug Fruge Technical Coordinating Committee . William S. Perret, Chairman John Roussel, Vice Chairman TCC Anadromous Fish Subcommittee . Doug Fruge, Chairman Larry Nicholson, Vice Chairman TCC Artificial Reef Subcommittee . Steve Heath, Chairman Jon Dodrill, Vice Chairman TCC Crab Subcommittee ................................. Tom Wagner, Chairman TCC Data Management Subcommittee ...................... Page Campbell, Chairman Joe O'Hop, Vice Chairman TCC Habitat Subcommittee . Dale Shively, Chairman TCC SEAMAP Subcommittee . Jim Hanifen, Chairman Richard Waller, Vice Chairman vii ULF STATES MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT G Larry B. Simpson, Executive Director Looking over the year, the Commission's This report, as mandated by Congress, actions ranged from artificial reefs to shrimp economic documents our crosscutting and robust efforts for the disaster. In addition to those issues, work continued on year. Our efforts are coordinated with the marine regional data collection and management, habitat fisheries commissions in the Pacific and Atlantic and concerns, Council management, endangered sea turtles, the federal fisheries agencies. I am proud of our invasive species, and regional research on marine contributions, but much is yet to be done. We expect to resources. This list is not exhaustive or even complete, implement a gulf wide trip ticket system for the but it does give one a glimpse of what the Commission commercial fishery to complement the for-hire and is doing to meet our charge to "promote the better recreational data system in place. An otolith manual is utilization of the fisheries, marine, shell, and in production to help coordinate research entities along anadromous ... by the development of a joint program the Gulf and East Coasts. Coordinated derelict trap for the promotion and protection of such fisheries and removal in all the Gulf States is being planned and the prevention of the physical waste of the fisheries implemented. from any cause." In 1978, when I first came to the Commission, maximizing the take of marine fisheries Finally, I want to thank the state marine was of highest concern. Now we face a myriad of agencies
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Ecological Indicators for Assessing and Communicating Seagrass Status and Trends in Florida Bay§ Christopher J
    Ecological Indicators 9S (2009) S68–S82 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Ecological Indicators journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ecolind Ecological indicators for assessing and communicating seagrass status and trends in Florida Bay§ Christopher J. Madden a,*, David T. Rudnick a, Amanda A. McDonald a, Kevin M. Cunniff b, James W. Fourqurean c a Everglades Division, South Florida Water Management District, 8894 Belvedere Rd., West Palm Beach, FL 33411, USA b R.C.T. Engineering, Inc., 701 Northpoint Parkway, West Palm Beach, FL 33407, USA c Dept. of Biological Sciences and Southeast Environmental Research Center, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: A suite of seagrass indicator metrics is developed to evaluate four essential measures of seagrass Received 23 April 2008 community status for Florida Bay. The measures are based on several years of monitoring data using the Received in revised form 20 January 2009 Braun-Blanquet Cover Abundance (BBCA) scale to derive information about seagrass spatial extent, Accepted 11 February 2009 abundance, species diversity and presence of target species. As ecosystem restoration proceeds in south Florida, additional freshwater will be discharged to Florida Bay as a means to restore the bay’s hydrology Keywords: and salinity regime. Primary hypotheses about restoring ecological function of the keystone seagrass Florida Bay community are based on the premise that hydrologic restoration will increase environmental variability Seagrass and reduce hypersalinity. This will create greater niche space and permit multiple seagrass species to co- Status Indicators exist while maintaining good environmental conditions for Thalassia testudinum, the dominant climax Thalassia seagrass species.
    [Show full text]
  • Federal Register/Vol. 63, No. 158/Monday, August 17, 1998
    43870 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 158 / Monday, August 17, 1998 / Rules and Regulations U.S.C. 553) because: (1) The 1998±99 SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and effective July 1, 1997, and codified at 15 fiscal year began on July 1, 1998, and Atmospheric Administration amends CFR Part 922, Subpart P. the marketing order requires that the the regulations for the Florida Keys In September 1997, NOAA became rate of assessment for each fiscal year National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS or aware that significant injury to, and apply to all assessable papayas handled Sanctuary) to reinstate and make destruction of, living coral on the during such fiscal year; (2) the permanent the temporary prohibition on Tortugas Bank, west of the Dry Tortugas Committee needs to have sufficient anchoring by vessels 50 meters or National Park, was being caused by the funds to pay its expenses which are greater in registered length on Tortugas anchoring of vessels 50 meters or greater incurred on a continuous basis; and (3) Bank. The preamble to this rule contains in registered length. handlers are aware of this action which an environmental assessment for this Section 922.165 of the Sanctuary was recommended by the Committee at action. The intent of this rule is to regulations provides that, where a public meeting and is similar to other protect the coral reef at Tortugas Bank. necessary to prevent or minimize the assessment rate actions issued in past The proposed rule was published on destruction of, loss of, or injury to a years. February 11, 1998 and the comment Sanctuary resources, any and all List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 928 period ended on March 13, 1998.
    [Show full text]
  • Dry Tortugas National Park Monroe County, Florida
    APPENDIX A: ERRATA 1. Page 63, Commercial Services, second paragraph. Replace the second sentence with the following text: “The number of vessels used in the operation, and arrival and departure patterns at Fort Jefferson, will be determined in the concession contracting process.” Explanation: The number of vessels to be used by the ferry concessionaire, and appropriate arrival and departure patterns, will be determined during the concessions contracting process that will occur during implementation of the Final GMPA/EIS. 2. Page 64, Commercial Services, third paragraph. Change the last word of the fourth sentence from “six” to “twelve.” Explanation: Group size for snorkeling and diving with commercial guides in the research natural area zone will be limited to 12 passengers, rather than 6 passengers. 3. Page 64, Commercial Services, sixth paragraph. Change the fourth sentence to read: “CUA permits will be issued to boat operators for 12-passenger multi-day diving trips.” Explanation: Group size for guided multi-day diving trips by operators with Commercial Use Authorizations will be 12 passengers, rather than 6 passengers. 4. Page 40, Table 1. Ranges of Visitor Use At Specific Locations. Change the last sentence in the box on page 40 to read: “Group size for snorkeling and diving with commercial guides in waters in the research natural area shall be a maximum of 12 passengers, excluding the guide.” Explanation: Clarifies that maximum group size for guided multi-day diving trips in the RNA by operators with Commercial Use Authorizations will be 12 passengers, rather than six passengers. 5. Page 84, Table 4: Summary of Alternative Actions.
    [Show full text]
  • Tortugas Ecological Reserve
    Strategy for Stewardship Tortugas Ecological Reserve U.S. Department of Commerce DraftSupplemental National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Environmental National Ocean Service ImpactStatement/ Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management DraftSupplemental Marine Sanctuaries Division ManagementPlan EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), working in cooperation with the State of Florida, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, and the National Marine Fisheries Service, proposes to establish a 151 square nautical mile “no- take” ecological reserve to protect the critical coral reef ecosystem of the Tortugas, a remote area in the western part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The reserve would consist of two sections, Tortugas North and Tortugas South, and would require an expansion of Sanctuary boundaries to protect important coral reef resources in the areas of Sherwood Forest and Riley’s Hump. An ecological reserve in the Tortugas will preserve the richness of species and health of fish stocks in the Tortugas and throughout the Florida Keys, helping to ensure the stability of commercial and recreational fisheries. The reserve will protect important spawning areas for snapper and grouper, as well as valuable deepwater habitat for other commercial species. Restrictions on vessel discharge and anchoring will protect water quality and habitat complexity. The proposed reserve’s geographical isolation will help scientists distinguish between natural and human-caused changes to the coral reef environment. Protecting Ocean Wilderness Creating an ecological reserve in the Tortugas will protect some of the most productive and unique marine resources of the Sanctuary. Because of its remote location 70 miles west of Key West and more than 140 miles from mainland Florida, the Tortugas region has the best water quality in the Sanctuary.
    [Show full text]
  • South Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI) Coral Reef Needs Assessment Study
    Manoj Shivlani. April 27, 2006. Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Coral Reef Needs Assessment Study. South Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI) Coral Reef Needs Assessment Study Manoj Shivlani July 31, 2006 1 Manoj Shivlani. April 27, 2006. Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Coral Reef Needs Assessment Study. Table of contents SECTION PAGE NUMBER Executive Summary 3 Introduction 6 Visitor beach survey project 10 Resident phone and mail back survey project 28 Stakeholder interview project 40 Marine industry electronic mail and telephone survey project 51 Registered boater field intercept survey project 56 Findings and recommendations 67 References 74 Appendix 1: Pilot visitor beach survey project report 76 Appendix 2: Visitor survey project survey instrument 84 Appendix 3: Resident phone survey project survey instrument 85 Appendix 4: Resident mail survey project survey instrument 87 Appendix 5: Registered boater mail survey project survey instrument 89 Appendix 6: Stakeholder guiding questions 91 Appendix 7: Marine industry survey 93 2 Manoj Shivlani. April 27, 2006. Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Coral Reef Needs Assessment Study. Executive Summary This report describes the five projects undertaken to conduct a Needs Assessment Study for the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI), utilizing a sample of Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Martin Counties’ residents, visitors, and a representative sample of stakeholder groups to assess the existing knowledge and values that the general public places on the coral reef ecosystem. The five projects, devised to assess the various groups, were: 1. Visitor beach survey project; 2. Resident phone and mail back survey project; 3. Stakeholder interview project; 4.
    [Show full text]
  • 76154 Federal Register/Vol. 71, No. 244
    76154 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 244 / Wednesday, December 20, 2006 / Rules and Regulations DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (1) To protect and interpret a pristine vessels, the increase in population and subtropical marine ecosystem, including recreational tourism will result in more National Park Service an intact coral reef community. pressure on the resources in the (2) To protect populations of fish and Tortugas area. In recent years, interest 36 CFR Part 7 wildlife, including (but not limited to) has grown in the commercial sector to loggerhead and green sea turtles, sooty provide increased transportation to the RIN 1024–AD45 terns, frigate birds, and numerous park and to conduct additional activities migratory bird species. in the park, which would bring many Dry Tortugas National Park—Special (3) To protect the pristine natural more visitors and greater impacts to Regulations environment of the Dry Tortugas group park resources. of islands. A plan was started in 1998 to address AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. (4) To protect, stabilize, restore and pressures and update the 1983 Fort ACTION: Final rule. interpret Fort Jefferson, an outstanding Jefferson National Monument General example of nineteenth century masonry Management Plan. At that time, park SUMMARY: This rule will delete obsolete fortification. managers placed a moratorium on the regulations; limit the area, extent and (5) To preserve and protect submerged authorization of any new commercial methods of recreational fishing within cultural resources. activity in the park until an FGMPA/EIS portions of the park’s boundaries; (6) In a manner consistent with could be completed and implemented implement a Research Natural Area paragraphs (1) through (5) above to that would adequately protect park (RNA); clarify the Superintendent’s provide opportunities for scientific resources.
    [Show full text]
  • The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of Florida
    Nova Southeastern University NSUWorks Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences 1-1-2005 The tS ate of Coral Reef Ecosystems of Florida Katherine Andrews (ed.) Florida Department of Environmental Protection Larry Nall (ed.) Florida Department of Environmental Protection Chris Jeffrey (ed.) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Simon Pittman (ed.) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Kenneth Banks Department of Planning and Environmental Protection, Broward County, [email protected] See next page for additional authors Find out more information about Nova Southeastern University and the Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography. Follow this and additional works at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_facreports Part of the Marine Biology Commons, and the Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons NSUWorks Citation Katherine Andrews (ed.), Larry Nall (ed.), Chris Jeffrey (ed.), Simon Pittman (ed.), Kenneth Banks, Carl Beaver, James A. Bohnsack, Richard E. Dodge, David S. Gilliam, Walter Jaap, Brian Keller, V. R. Leeworthy, Tom Matthews, Ramon Ruiz-Carus, Deborah Santavy, Richard E. Spieler, Jerald Ault, Gabriel Delgado, Fleur M. Ferro, Carol R. Fretwell, Bill Goodwin, Doug Harper, John Hunt, Margaret Miller, Christy Pattengil-Semmens, Bill Sharp, Steve Smith, Jennifer Wheaton, and Dana Williams. 2005. The tS ate of Coral Reef Ecosystems of Florida .The tS ate of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific rF eely Associated States: 2005 : 150 -201. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_facreports/76. This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences at NSUWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports by an authorized administrator of NSUWorks.
    [Show full text]
  • Pages 239-287
    3.0 Description, Distribution and Use of Essential Fish Habitat to the ends of the respective shoals, but shoreward of the Gulf stream; The Point, The Ten- Fathom Ledge, and Big Rock (North Carolina); The Charleston Bump and Hurl Rocks (South Carolina); The Point off Jupiter Inlet (Florida); Phragmatopoma (worm reefs) reefs off the central east coast of Florida; nearshore hard bottom south of Cape Canaveral; The Hump off Islamorada, Florida; The Marathon Hump off Marathon, Florida; The “Wall” off of the Florida Keys; Pelagic Sargassum; and Atlantic coast estuaries with high numbers of Spanish mackerel and cobia based on abundance data from the ELMR Program. Estuaries meeting this criteria for Spanish mackerel include Bogue Sound and New River, North Carolina; Bogue Sound, North Carolina (Adults May-September salinity >30 ppt); and New River, North Carolina (Adults May-October salinity >30 ppt). For Cobia they include Broad River, South Carolina; and Broad River, South Carolina (Adults & juveniles May-July salinity >25ppt). These areas include spawning grounds and habitats where eggs and larvae develop. In addition, the estuarine habitats also provide prey species along migration pathways. 3.3.5 Golden Crab 3.3.5.1 Description of the Species and Distribution The golden crab, Chaceon fenneri, is a large gold or buff colored species inhabiting the continental slope of Bermuda (Luckhurst, 1986; Manning and Holthuis, 1986) and the southeastern United States from off Chesapeake Bay (Schroeder, 1959), south through the Straits of Florida and into the eastern Gulf of Mexico (Manning and Holthuis, 1984, 1986; Otwell et al., 1984; Wenner et al., 1987, Erdman 1990).
    [Show full text]
  • Resource Guide for Public Health Response to Harmful Algal Blooms in Florida
    ISSN 1930-1448 FISH AND WILDLIFE RESEARCH INSTITUTE TECHNICALTECHNICAL REPORTSREPORTS Resource Guide for Public Health Response to Harmful Algal Blooms in Florida Based on Recommendations of the Florida Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force Public Health Technical Panel Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission FWRI Technical Report TR-14 2009 Charlie Crist Governor of Florida Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Kenneth D. Haddad Executive Director The Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) is a division of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The FWC is “managing fish and wildlife resources for their long-term well-being and the benefit of people.” The FWRI conducts applied research pertinent to managing fishery resources and species of special concern in Florida. Programs at FWRI focus on obtaining the data and information that managers of fish, wildlife, and ecosystem resources need to sustain Florida's natural resources. Topics include managing recreationally and commercially important fish and wildlife species; preserving, managing, and restoring terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitats; collecting information related to popula- tion status, habitat requirements, life history, and recovery needs of upland and aquatic species; synthesizing ecological, habitat, and socioeconomic information; and developing educational and outreach programs for classroom educators, civic organizations, and the public. The FWRI publishes three series: Memoirs of the Hourglass Cruises, Florida Marine Research Publications, and FWRI Technical Reports. FWRI Technical Reports contain information relevant to immediate resource-management needs. Gil McRae, FWRI Director James F. Quinn, Jr., Science Editor Judith G. Colvocoresses, Copy Editor Llyn C. French, Publications Production Resource Guide for Public Health Response to Harmful Algal Blooms in Florida Based on Recommendations of the Florida Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force Public Health Technical Panel G.
    [Show full text]
  • 76154 Federal Register/Vol. 71, No. 244/Wednesday, December 20, 2006/Rules and Regulations
    76154 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 244 / Wednesday, December 20, 2006 / Rules and Regulations DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (1) To protect and interpret a pristine vessels, the increase in population and subtropical marine ecosystem, including recreational tourism will result in more National Park Service an intact coral reef community. pressure on the resources in the (2) To protect populations of fish and Tortugas area. In recent years, interest 36 CFR Part 7 wildlife, including (but not limited to) has grown in the commercial sector to loggerhead and green sea turtles, sooty provide increased transportation to the RIN 1024–AD45 terns, frigate birds, and numerous park and to conduct additional activities migratory bird species. in the park, which would bring many Dry Tortugas National Park—Special (3) To protect the pristine natural more visitors and greater impacts to Regulations environment of the Dry Tortugas group park resources. of islands. A plan was started in 1998 to address AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. (4) To protect, stabilize, restore and pressures and update the 1983 Fort ACTION: Final rule. interpret Fort Jefferson, an outstanding Jefferson National Monument General example of nineteenth century masonry Management Plan. At that time, park SUMMARY: This rule will delete obsolete fortification. managers placed a moratorium on the regulations; limit the area, extent and (5) To preserve and protect submerged authorization of any new commercial methods of recreational fishing within cultural resources. activity in the park until an FGMPA/EIS portions of the park’s boundaries; (6) In a manner consistent with could be completed and implemented implement a Research Natural Area paragraphs (1) through (5) above to that would adequately protect park (RNA); clarify the Superintendent’s provide opportunities for scientific resources.
    [Show full text]
  • Evaluation of Potential Spillover of Lobsters from the Dry Tortugas National Park to the Tortugas Ecological Reserve (North)
    j l Final Report: FKNMS-2005-004 Title: Evaluation of Potential Spillover of lobsters from the Dry Tortugas National Park to the Tortugas Ecological Reserve (North) For John Armor National Permit Coordinator NMSP 1305 East West Highway (N/ORM6), Room 11534 Silver Spring, MD 20910 and Brian D. Keller Science Coordinator FKNMS P.O. Box 500368 Marathon, FL From Rod Bertelsen and Kerry Maxwell Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Fish and Wildlife Research Institute 2796 Overseas Highway #119 Marathon, FL 33050 Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Identifier FKNMS-2005-004 Everglades National Park Identifiers DTRO-2005-SCI-0002 DTRO-122 Florida Fish and Wildlife Identifier F2480 October 19,2005 F2480-04-F Logistical summary: In mid-May, a total of 36 VR2 sonic receivers were placed into Dry Tortugas (DTRO), Tortugas Ecological Reserve Norht (TERN), and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) waters. Locations were marked with sub-surface buoys and GPS coordinates. Sixteen receivers were placed in TERN waters and all were recovered in early and late August. Eight receivers were placed in FKNMS waters south of TERN and west ofDTRO. Seven receivers were recovers in early and late August. Twelve VR2 sonic receivers around Loggerhead Key within DTRO waters on soft bottom areas. All 12 receivers were recovered during early-August 2005. No samples of any kind were collected during this project. We listed Wes Pratt of Mote Marine Laboratory as a possible collaborator regarding his concurrent nurse shark tagging efforts within DTRO. We are pleased to note that we did detect some of his tagged sharks with our sonic receivers and have shared that information with him.
    [Show full text]
  • REEF Zone Code
    Volunteer Reef Fish Monitoring in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary 2000 Annual Report – REEF Zone Monitoring Christy V. Pattengill-Semmens, Ph.D. Reef Environmental Education Foundation The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Zoning Plan On July 1, 1997, a new management plan went into effect in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) that included a large-scale marine zoning plan with 23 no-take zones. These zones aim to protect the biological diversity and integrity of the marine environment in the Keys. In addition to providing areas that are limited to non-extractive recreation, they are intended to act as replenishment zones where the total abundance of fishes, their average size, and their overall egg production increases. In the year 2002, State and Federal managers will reevaluate the use of zones as a management tool. Therefore, the FKNMS and NOAA’s South Florida Restoration Fund is supporting a wide-scale, three- tiered monitoring program in order to evaluate the effects of the zones on biodiversity and human activities. Monitoring projects include research on coral, algae, fish, lobster, and human values. The three levels are ecosystem focus, human/ecosystem interface, and volunteer monitoring of ecosystem health. It is at this third level that REEF is involved. REEF and The Florida Keys REEF has a strong foundation in the Keys. The very first roving dives and REEF field surveys were conducted in Key Largo in 1993. As of April 2001, 6,974 fish surveys have been completed in the Florida Keys by REEF members. In 1997, the FKNMS contracted REEF to begin Level 3 monitoring at 31 sites as part of the zone monitoring program.
    [Show full text]