S. Florida coral reefs dying out
21 of 35 species are gone
TALLAHASSEE – South Florida’s coral reefs are dying.
In the past two years, 21 of 35 coral species in South Florida have disappeared. The reasons aremany: disease, more acidity in the ocean, pollution, overfishing, dredging— the list goes on.
“The epidemic is unique since it involves multiple diseases and affects several species of coral, some listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act,” said state Rep. Kristin Jacobs, D-Coconut Creek. “Aside from its natural beauty, our reef is also vital to our coastal protection and economic vitality.”
The importance of coral reefs to marine life is almost impossible to overstate. Although reefs cover less than one percent of the ocean floor, they harbor more than a quarter of all ocean life, according to the Coral Reef Alliance, a conservation group.
To protect it, the Florida Legislature is working to create a Southeast Florida Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation Area, with $1 million to be spent fighting for the reefs that lie in the area from the northern edge of
Biscayne National Park to the St. Lucie River estuary inMartin County.
The barrier reefs in southern Miami-Dade and the Keys are already under federal protection and operate under conservation plans established by the National Park Service. That means problems that arise within the parks are likely to be dealt with more quickly, as the feds regularly observe the area for trouble spots.
Reefs in northern MiamiBroward, Palm Beach andMartin counties fall under state rules that cover all waters around Florida. They include such things as a ban on anchoring and encouraging the removal of invasive species such as lionfish.
The legislation sponsored by Jacobs and unanimously passed by the Housewould create a study to find out the main cause of reef damage in those areas.
According to a Florida Department of Environmental Protection study, the northern reef area brings in $3.4 billion in economic impact and creates 36,000 jobs due primarily to the tourism trade, but also fishing and secondary industries surrounding tourism.
The House and Senate are still negotiating their budget, but according to Jacobs, a $1 million appropriation for the reef area is in both versions. Thatmoneywould be spent onwater quality monitoring with an eye toward finding which of the many suspects are most to blame for the corals’ deaths.
“There is one point upon which we all agree: Before we can act, we must understand why the corals are dying,” Jacobs said. “That is what the four-county monitoring effort will do. Hopefully, our scientists will learnwhattheyneedto reverse the damage.”
But while both House and Senate budgets have the money, the Senate bill needs the blessing of Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, to get on the floor.
Negron has become environmentalists’ favorite Republican with his support of a giant reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee meant to prevent green slime from polluting the St. Lucie River while sending more water into the Everglades.
It remains to be seen whether his environmental concern extends to South Florida’s reef system, but Jacobs said she was hopeful the Senate reef bill would get a vote early next week.
Traditionally, moving a bill that hasn’t gone through all its committees to the Senate floor is rarely done.
Katie Betta, press secretary forNegron, said he had not yet decided whether any billswouldmove to the floor, and that a decision would be made nextweek.