What A Great Dive?

Working in the coral reef conservation biz, I get the opportunity to dive on a lot of reefs. Don't hate me. And since I'm no longer a spring chicken, I've also accumulated a lot of first hand observations of changes over time. As a former east coast boy who learned his tropical and subtropical ecology in Florida and the Eastern Caribbean, I've witnessed dramatic changes and shifts (mostly not for the better) in once favorite dive destinations of Jamaica and Florida. Yet it never fails that I'll surface after a disappointing dive--where I documented anchor damaged coral heads, huge fields of dead and broken elkhorn coral, algae dominated reefs, and nary a big fish--only to hear squeals of delight from other (generally younger) divers proclaiming, "What a great dive!"

No, I didn't miss something. I've simply got front row seats to the shifting baseline of coral reefs.

Florida is a particularly good example. Florida is the only state in the continental United States to have extensive shallow coral reef formations near its coasts. These reefs extend from near Stuart, on the Atlantic coast, to the Dry Tortugas, west of Key West, in the Gulf of Mexico. The most prolific reef development occurs seaward of the Florida Keys. The reefs here are spectacular and rival those of many Caribbean areas. Approximately 6,000 coral reefs are found between Key Biscayne and Dry Tortugas.

Florida's coral reefs came into existence 5,000 to 7,000 years ago when sea levels rose following the Wisconsin Ice Age. Reef growth is slow; estimates range from one to sixteen feet every 1,000 years. As sea levels continued to rise, new coral tracts formed parallel to the coastline. Sonar scans of the continental shelf clearly show these belts of fossil coral tracts in deep water.

Modern coral tractways off Fort Lauderdale and Miami have been particularly fascinating because of their high diversity and concentration of gorgonians. Often mistaken for plants, gorgonians are non-reef building soft corals (octocorals) such as sea fans and sea whips. These tractways are also home to amazing sponge aggregations of every shape, size and color. I remember first seeing these vibrant tracts while diving in South Florida in the early '80's. While the reefs seemed spectacular to me then, I too was victim to shifting baselines. Colleagues were quick to inform me that South Florida reefs had been much more robust in the 60's and 70's before the explosion in coastal development.

Having been familiar with it's former condition, it's difficult for me to dive the South Florida reef tract today. In fact, I have conservation colleagues who feel so defeated that they refuse to dive there any longer. Algal growth, spurred-on by nutrient loading from land-based sources, now dominates many areas. Black-band disease is prevalent and other types of band diseases can destroy a 200-year-old coral head in a single summer. Elkhorn and staghorn corals, once so common to Caribbean reefs that texbooks labeled sections of coral reef as the "Elkhorn or Staghorn Zones" are all but gone. Many of the sea fans now show lesions from fungal infection. Anchor damage still continues to be a problem. Extensive coastal modifications such as breakwaters, groins, and jetties have affected water circulation and resulted in sedimentation or smothering of some portions of the tractway. And here and there you can observe sections of the tract completely obliterated, literally sucked-up and carted away as part of Miami's beach renourishment (AKA "Dredge and Kill") projects.

A weekend AP news story outlines the precarious situation facing Florida's reefs as well as some of the efforts to save them. The story details efforts ranging from coral nurseries, to curtailing wastewater and nutrient runoff, to exploring the use of artificial reefs. I have to admit that I struggled to not roll my eyes while reading what, to me, seemed like a PR love letter to NOAA and Florida's environmental chief Michael Sole. Any efforts to mitigate further reef damage will be difficult. There is a history of distrust between resource managers and resource users. South Florida reefs have multiple users and stakeholders and any legislation that restricts use will surely be contentious.

But Florida has launched a few strategies in an effort to restore trust and increase public awareness and dialogue. In 2003, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission coordinated the formation of a team of interagency and non-agency marine resource professionals, scientists, resource users and other stakeholders to form the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI).

SEFCRI is charged with developing a local action strategy targeting coral reefs and associated reef resources from Miami-Dade County, through Broward, Palm Beach and Martin Counties. These counties are particularly important to target because their associated coral habitats are close to shore and co-exist with intensely urbanized areas that lack a coordinated management plan (like that of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary). SEFCRI hopes to improve the coordination of technical and financial support for the conservation and management of coral reefs in these counties.

I've been fortunate to work with some of the SEFCRI Awareness and Appreciation and Fishing, Diving, and Other Uses teams. All very passionate and motivated individuals who are working against tremendous odds to preserve a nationally significant marine resource. I can't hazard a guess as to the ultimate outcome of their efforts. I only know that it would be a tragedy if the Florida reefs I so fondly remember will survive only as memories.