OUR FLORIDA CORAL REEFS James Byrne April 2014

Spans over 300 nautical miles from the Dry Tortugas to Stuart. The only tropical coral reef system, and one of the greatest natural resources, in Florida and the continental United States. Adjacent to one of the most densely populated and urbanized coastal communities in the U.S.  1/3 of Florida’s population (6 billion people)  Coastal population has grown 64% since 1990  30 million visitors/year Where are Florida’s Coral Reefs?

Florida’s Coral Reefs are home

Benefits

Florida’s Reefs are essential to our way of life. Tourism, recreation and fishing are the basis of Florida’s economy and the Floridian lifestyle. Reef-related tourism, diving and fishing annually provide:  $6.3 billion in sales and income  71,000 jobs  70% of sales attributed to visitors Florida’s reefs provide shelter, food and breeding sites for many recreational and commercial fishery species. Reefs generate sand for our beaches and protect our shorelines from tropical storms and erosion.

Florida’s Reefs are threatened ’s 2007

Florida’s Reefs have been damaged. Photo Series: Phil Dustin

Reefs at Risk Revisited (Burke et al, 2011) Cumulative Impacts

Reefs at Risk Revisited (Burke et al, 2011)

State of the Reef System Reef condition Overfishing/LBSP/Climate Change

State of the Reef System Reef condition Overfishing/LBSP/Climate Change Threat Abatement Alone Status Quo

State of the Reef System Reef condition Ecosystem Restoration + Threat Abatement Threat Abatement Alone Status Quo Overfishing/LBSP/Climate Change

Florida Reef Resilience Program (FRRP) Origin: Discussions between NOAA, GBRMPA, State of Florida, TNC Resilience based management concept Monitoring of entire reef tract Goals –Identify reefs that are likely to resist or recover from bleaching –Guide the protection & management of those reef areas

A Public and Private Partnership

Healthy vs. Bleached Coral Bleaching

Impacts of Coral Bleaching Bleaching can lead to disease and sometimes death. Death due to bleaching reduces coral reef biodiversity by decreasing coral species and coral cover. Declines in coral cover can cause a decrease in abundance of reef fish and a large decline in the number of reef species.* * Jones, G. P. et. al Coral decline threatens fish biodiversity in marine reserves. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 101: Bleaching, disease, and death of inshore patch reefs in the Florida Keys (Marilyn E. Brandt, University of Miami)

Monitor coral reef health after disturbances focused on coral bleaching Trained experts survey stony corals on FL reef tract during peak annual temperatures (6-8 weeks) Follow-up surveys after moderate/severe bleaching years (e.g. 2005) Can be used for other disturbances (e.g. hurricanes, cold water) Disturbance Response Monitoring (DRM)

Random sites generated and assigned to teams 1 x 10m belt transects (2/site) Measure/assess all corals (>=4 cm) Species level identification Degree of bleaching and presence of disease Data entered online Database queried for results DRM Field Methods

2005– Surveyed Sites FRRP Survey Sites

2013 Bleaching Extent By Zone 100 surveyed sites Mild to moderate bleaching (0-50%) Moderate bleaching occurring in Upper Keys, Biscayne and Broward sub-regions due to paling.

Data Analysis Inverse distance weight interpolations of FRRP data

FRRP Website

Bleaching Response Plan Chapter 1: Early Warning System Chapter 2: Impact Assessment Chapter 3: Communications Chapter 4: Management Actions

Enhancing Coastal Protection Coastalresilience.org

EXAMPLE: REEF WAVE ATTENUATION Wave heights during storm No live coral on reefRole of Coral

Year Mitigation: Reduce rate & magnitude of sea temperature change Reef condition Increase resilience: Refugia Water quality Biodiversity Connectivity Increase resilience: Refugia Water quality Biodiversity Connectivity “Resilience threshold” What we need to do

THANK YOU James Byrne