Public Comment, U.S. Coral Reef Task Force

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Palm Beach CountyREEF RESCUEP.O. Box 207Boynton Beach, Florida 33425(561) 699-8559Email: etichscuba@aol.comwww.reef-rescue.org______________________________________________________________________________________February 13, 2009U.S. Coral Reef Task Force CoordinatorNOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program1305 East-West Highway, N/OCRM, Rm. 10405Silver Spring, MD 20910Re: Advance Public CommentThe reefs of the southeast Florida coast and Palm Beach County in particular, suffer from a lackof an effective management structure. Below are four examples, all of which occurred within thelast year, which exemplify how the lack of management has resulted in negative impacts to whatare arguably some of the best of Florida’s remaining coral reefs.Example 1: Gulf Stream Reef Lyngbya BloomIn August 2008, Palm Beach County Reef Rescue (PBCRR) volunteer divers identified a reefarea encompassing several acres severely impacted by a Lyngbya bloom. PBCRR requestedassistance from the FDEP Coral Reef Conservation Program office (SEFCRI) to survey the extentand impact to the benthos. Initially, SEFCRI staff began to develop a protocol to perform thework, however due to workload no action by SEFCRI was taken. PBCRR received a SpecialActivity License (SAL) from Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) to collect seafan/Lyngbya and send samples on a monthly basis to the FWC, St. Petersburg, FL laboratory.There have been no regulatory agency actions to document, assess ...

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Palm Beach County REEF RESCUE P.O. Box 207 Boynton Beach, Florida 33425 (561) 6998559 Email: etichscuba@aol.com www.reefrescue.org ______________________________________________________________________________________

February 13, 2009

U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Coordinator NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program 1305 EastWest Highway, N/OCRM, Rm. 10405 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Re: Advance Public Comment The reefs of the southeast Florida coast and Palm Beach County in particular, suffer from a lack of an effective management structure.Below are four examples, all of whichoccurred within the last year, which exemplify how the lack of management has resulted in negative impacts to what are arguably some of thebest of Florida’s remaining coral reefs. Example 1: Gulf Stream Reef Lyngbya Bloom In August 2008, Palm Beach County Reef Rescue (PBCRR) volunteer divers identified a reef area encompassing several acres severely impacted by a Lyngbya bloom.PBCRR requested assistance from the FDEP Coral Reef Conservation Program office (SEFCRI) to survey the extent and impact to the benthos. Initially, SEFCRI staff began to develop a protocol to perform the work, however due to workload no action by SEFCRI was taken.PBCRR received a Special Activity License (SAL) from Florida Fish and WildlifeCommission (FWC) to collectsea fan/Lyngbya and sendsamples ona monthly basis to the FWC, St. Petersburg, FLlaboratory. There have been no regulatory agency actions to document, assess the impact to the ecosystem, or identify a cause for this Lyngbya infestation.A bloom which still persists after six months and has resulted in significant mortality to ten’s of acres of sea fans (Iciligorgia schrammi and Gorgonia ventalina). Example 2: Recreational Boat Anchoring There is no enforcement by FWC to control recreational boat anchoring incoral along the southeast Florida coast.PBCRR in July and August 2008provided video evidence and written statements to FWC of boats anchored in coral.After an investigation FWC concluded that the “take” provision in Florida Statute 68B42.009 only regulated the collection of coral and was not intended to include “ harm, destroy or kill” as is the accepted interpretationof “take” in the federal ESA. In December 2008, PBCRR designed and purchased antianchoring boat ramp signs and brochures to target the Boynton Beach Inlet area with a public education campaign. These materials along with newspaper and TV coverage have been effective in nearly eliminating recreational boat anchoring on reefs in the nearby vicinity.FDEP has also cooperated by sending warning letters to boaters identified as anchoring in coral by PBCRR volunteers. ___________________________________________________________________ To monitor, preserve and protect the coral reef ecosystem of South Florida through research, education and public awareness. Palm Beach County Reef Rescue is a 501(C)3 nonprofit Florida corporation 1

Palm Beach County REEF RESCUE ____________________________________________________________________

Example 3: Breaker’s Reef Damage In November 2008, PBCRR divers identified and reported to SEFCRI extensive damage to coral and sponges on Breaker’s Reef.Volunteers provided video documentation of damageto the coral reef habitat covering an area the size of two football fields.FDEP SEFCI due to workload was unable to provide an inwater assessment of this reef which is the center of the tourism diving industry in north Palm Beach County.After many weeks FWC and Palm Beach County Environmental Resource Management staff performed a site assessment.Several months passed before restoration work was initiated, a delay far too long to expect any reasonable assurance of coral reattachment success.To date no responsible party has been identified.

Example 4: NOAA Acropora Coral Critical Habitat Designation November 2008, NOAA NMFS published the Critical Habitat Designation (CHD)for ESA threatened Acropora coral.NMFS had proposed the CHD include all coastal waters of Palm Beach County (PBC).During the public comment period PBCRR reported numerous documented locations of Acropora cervicornis colonies in PBC to NMFS, mostobserved southof the Boynton Beach Inlet.The final published CHD set the northern boundary at the Boynton Inlet, excluding more than half of PBC.This, in spite of the known existence of A. cervicornis found north of the Boynton Inlet.In December 2008, PBCRR filed a formal petition with NOAA/NMFS to reopen the Critical Habitat evaluation process due to the documented occurrence of the species north of the Boynton Inlet.NOAA/NMFS has 90 days from the date of the PBCRR filing to respond. All of the above instances serve to highlight compromised resource protection resulting from a lack of management structure.In each case, had adequatenumbers of resource personnel been operating within a cohesive regional management framework, it is our opinion effective and timely action could have been realized. Sincerely,

Ed Tichenor, Director Palm Beach County Reef Rescue

cc: Michael Sole, Secretary FDEP Kenneth Haddad, Executive Director FWC Chantal Collier, FDEP Coral Reef Conservation Program Janet Phipps, PBC Environmental Resource Management

___________________________________________________________________ To monitor, preserve and protect the coral reef ecosystem of South Florida through research, education and public awareness. Palm Beach County Reef Rescue is a 501(C)3 nonprofit Florida corporation

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