Shallow Water Wildlife and Habitat Protection

Hardbottom communities and seagrass beds are critical habitats of the sanctuary, providing important feeding and nursery grounds for numerous commercially-important fish and protected species. These shallow areas are particularly vulnerable to impacts from small vessels, and are frequently damaged by boat propellers, anchors and more. Vessel strikes also harm animals that frequent these zones, such as sea turtles and marine mammals. Current zoning of Wildlife Management Areas is designed to minimize disturbance to sensitive or endangered wildlife and their habitats while allowing for public use with a system of no-access buffers, no-motor zones, idle-speed only/no-wake zones, closed zones, and, in some cases, seasonal restrictions. The Sanctuary’s Condition Report and numerous public scoping comments raised ongoing degradation of these habitats and wildlife as an issue that needed to be addressed through the marine zoning and regulatory review. In January 2013, a Shallow Water Wildlife and Habitat Protection Working Group was formed, and the group developed draft recommendations during the following year. In June 2014, the advisory council passed a motion requesting that NOAA analyze those ideas as part of its Draft Environmental Impact Analysis.

For advisory council meeting archives visit: Current Year or Previous Year Archives.

Presentations on Shallow Water Wildlife and Habitat Protection

February 19, 2013 Presentation: Shallow Water Working Group Progress, Next Steps (637 kb)

April 16, 2013 Presentation: Shallow Water Wildlife and Habitat Protection Working Group Progress and Next Steps (2,000 kb)

July 9, 2013 Presentation: Shallow Water Wildlife and Habitat Protection Working Group Recommendations to SAC (2,000 kb)

June 17, 2014: Shallow Water Wildlife and Habitat Protection Working Group: Recommendations to FKNMS SAC (386 kb)

June 17, 2014 Draft Recommendations Document: Coral Reef Ecosystem Restoration Working Group and Shallow Water Wildlife and Habitat Protection Working Group Draft Recommendations (20,000 kb)

Motions

The following Motion was passed at the June 17, 2014 meeting:Resolution of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council Advancing the Shallow Water Wildlife and Habitat Protection Working Group Recommendations to NOAA for Analysis through a Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Note: See also the Shallow Water Wildlife and Habitat Protection Working Group page for more background information on the development of these recommendations.