Our IJviitfi RcxiHiivfs — Cmistnl & Murine Ecosystems 



2SI 



sediments may be the only way to save many 

 of these national treasures. 



References 



Bythell. J.C, B. Gladfelter. and M. Bythell. 1992. 

 Ecological studies of Buck Island Reef 

 National Monument. St. Croix. U.S. Virgin 

 Islands: a quantitative assessment of selected 

 components of the coral reef ecosystem and 

 establishment of long-term monitoring sites. 

 Island Resource Foundation. St. Thomas. 72 



PP- 

 D'Elia, C.F., R.W. Buddemeier. and S.V. Smith, 

 eds. 1991. Workshop on Coral Bleaching, 

 Coral Reef Ecosystems and Global Change: 

 Report of Proceedings. Maryland Sea Grant 

 College UM-SG-TS-91-03. 49 pp. 



Dustin, P., and J.C. Halas. 1987, Changes in the 

 reef-coral community of Carysfon Reef, Key 

 Largo, Florida: 1974 to 1982. Coral Reefs 

 6:91-106. 



Ginshurg. R.N., compiler. 1994. Proceedings of 

 the Colloquium on Global Aspects of Coral 

 Reefs: Health, Hazards and History, 1993. 

 Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric 

 Science. University of Miami. 420 pp. 



Laist. D.W., T.E. Bigford. G.W. Robertson, and 

 D.R. Gordon. 1986. Management of corals and 

 coral ecosystems in the United States. Coastal 

 Zone Management Journal 13(3/4):203-239. 



Porter, J.W., and O.W. Meier. 1992. 

 Quantification of loss and change in Floridian 

 reef coral populations. American Zoologist 

 32:625-640. 



Rogers, C.S. 1985. Degradation of Caribbean and 

 western Atlantic coral reefs and decline of 

 associated fisheries. Proceedings of the 7th 

 International Coral Reef Symposium 6:491- 

 496. 



For further information: 



Stephen C. Jameson 



National Oceanic and Atmospheric 



Administration 



Office of Ocean Resources Conservation 



and Assessment 



1305 East-West Hwy. 



Silver Spring, MD 20910 



(Gilbeft 1973) and the variety of habitats. More 

 fish species have been reportetJ from Alligator 

 Reef in the upper Keys than at any single loca- 

 tion in the Western Hemisphere (Starck 1968). 

 These fishes consist piimarily of continental, 

 warm-temperate species characteristic of the 

 northern Gulf of Mexico, and tropical 

 Caribbean species, especially on the Atlantic 

 side of the Florida Keys. Mixing of the warm- 

 temperate and tropical Caribbean species 

 occurs from north to south with distribution 

 limits of individual species determined by sea- 

 sonal temperature variations and the exchange 

 of Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean waters in 

 nearshore habitats in the middle to lower Keys. 

 The key silverside (Menidia conchonim) is the 

 only fish confined to the Florida Keys. It is not 

 as rare as had previously been thought, and a 

 recommendation has been made to change its 

 official state listing from "threatened" to "spe- 

 cial concern" (Gilbert 1992), 



Two studies of single sites indicate the total 

 diversity of Floiida Keys fishes, Longley and 

 Hildebrand (1941) listed 442 species from the 

 Dry Tortugas, 300 of which are closely associ- 

 ated with coral reefs. Starck (1968) recorded 

 517 fish species from Alligator Reef, including 

 389 considered members of the reef communi- 

 ty. The category "coral reef fish" is arbitrary, 

 however, because a continuum exists from 

 obligate {see glossary) species that spend their 

 entire adult lives largely hidden within recesses 

 of the reef, to opportunistic species that use 

 many habitats. Also, most economically impor- 

 tant reef fish are dependent on seagrasses and 

 mangroves along the Keys and in Florida Bay 

 for critically important nursery habitat. The 

 availability of such habitats permits a higher 

 density of organisms and a more complex reef 

 community (Parrish 1989). 



As more researchers, anglers, recreational 

 scuba divei-s, and snorkelers have visited the 

 Keys, an appreciation of the complex nature of 



reef fish communities has increased (Sale 

 1991). Research that uses visual census tech- 

 niques has focused on the more common and 

 readily observable reef fish. The most compre- 

 hensive census study to date (Bohnsack et al. 

 1987) provided a detailed quantitative descrip- 

 tion of the fish fauna of Looe Key National 

 Marine Sanctuary for depths less than 13 m (43 

 fi). Quantitative studies of this kind serve as 

 essential baseline references required for moni- 

 toring and detecting future changes in reef fish 

 abundances and distributions. That study, with 

 additional data from Key Largo, showed that 

 fish faunas of the outer reefs in the Keys are 

 diverse and complex, and their community 

 structures are similar to well-developed reefs 

 throughout the Caribbean. 



Influences and Trends 



As one of the most heavily fished areas in 

 Florida, the Keys support extensive commercial 

 and recreational fisheries for food, sport, and 

 the marine aquarium trade (Bohnsack et al, 

 1994). A major management goal is ensuring 

 continued sustainability of limited resources 

 and traditional activities under rapidly increas- 

 ing hutnan population growth and exploitation 

 of the reef fisheries. Excessive use and fishing 

 may cause long-term harm to individual 

 species, disrupt reef ecosystems, and damage 

 the area's overall economy. 



Demand and use of resources have increased 

 (Fig. 2) with the growing number of residents 

 and tourists (White 1991; Bohnsack et al. 

 1994). The number of registered boats has 

 increased more than sixfold since 1965 while 

 the number of commercial and partyboat ves- 

 sels has remained stable (Bohnsack et al. 1994). 

 Fishing success has increased, however, 

 because of more accurate navigational aids, 

 inexpensive electronic fish-finding equipment. 



