Commission Joins Unprecedented Collaborative Effort To Protect Tortugas

The Ocean Conservancy
Thursday, 29 March 2001

Final Unanimous Vote Crucial to Save One of Florida's Last Wild Ocean Places

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Today, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission took final action to fully protect a portion of the proposed Tortugas Ecological Reserve lying in Florida state waters from all commercial and recreational fishing. Final approval of the reserve by Florida's Governor and Cabinet would extend those protections to include other activities. Pending action to fully protect an adjacent area within the Dry Tortugas National Park would complete the process of creating this truly world-class reserve covering almost 200 square nautical miles.

"This is a giant step for an amazing cooperative effort among various governmental entities to protect this outstanding area for present and future generations," said Marianne Cufone, Regional Fish Conservation program manager, Center for Marine Conservation (CMC). "This proposal has overwhelming support from a diverse group of interests and that makes it very special."

Support for this proposal by a diverse set of stakeholders has driven a collaborative interagency response. The various government bodies participating in the creation process of the Tortugas Ecological Reserve include the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the Dry Tortugas National Park, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Park Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Florida Governor and Cabinet.

"The Tortugas Ecological Reserve is crucial to the protection of Florida's most important marine wilderness and is being viewed throughout the country as a blueprint for protecting our oceans in the future," said David White, regional director of CMC's Florida Regional Office.

The Tortugas, a remote area about 70 miles west of Key West, boasts a relatively pristine ocean environment with clear, blue waters, extensive coral reefs, fish, sharks, lobsters, and other marine life. Until recently, the area's remoteness and a prohibition on commercial fishing inside Dry Tortugas National Park provided some protection from over-exploitation. However, fishing pressure from commercial vessels outside the national park and recreational users throughout the area have increased dramatically in recent years. Declining fish populations throughout the Keys, improved navigation, and more efficient gear have all added up to fewer fish, and damage to the Tortugas ecosystem.

The Tortugas area is important not only to the Florida Keys, but to all of South Florida and perhaps even beyond. Scientific research indicates that spawning areas are vital to the replenishment of valuable sport and commercial fisheries.

"Research by CMC and others demonstrated that currents between the Tortugas, Florida Keys, and the Southeast coast deliver fish larvae from the Tortugas to these areas," said Cufone. "Today's decision to protect the Tortugas will not only benefit the immediate areas, but could help restore degraded reefs and depleted fish populations throughout the Keys and further up the South Atlantic coast."

The adjacent coral reefs contain plants and animals not found elsewhere in the Keys. In fact, the ecological and economical benefits are so great that the Tortugas Ecological Reserve has been referred to as the "savings bank" for local fishermen.

For more information, or to contact The Ocean Conservancy, see their website at: www.oceanconservancy.org