Our /,/r//),v Rfsniiixi'.s — Codshil c( Maiiih' FiawMfins 



279 



Table 2. Suniniarv nt undeveloped coastiil haniers (F. 

 McGilvery, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington. 

 DC. and National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration, unpuhlished report). 



Comparing the CBRS maps after three sur- 

 veys were conducted since 1982 shows that 

 there have been no significant changes of CBRS 

 unit boundaries in the United States (Frank 

 McGilvery. USFWS. personal communication). 

 Quite significant changes have occurred, how- 

 ever, in the size, shape, and character of many 

 barriers because of natural processes. 



Future 



As the coastal population grows and bairiers 

 become urbanized, valuable habitats are being 

 destroyed, and associated negative impacts such 

 as waste disposal, pollution, and changes in 

 freshwater and fine-grained sediment dispersal 

 are altering entire coastal marine and maritime 

 ecosystems. Protecting all remaining undevel- 

 oped coastal bairiers should be a national prior- 

 ity. Some protection occurs through the Coastal 

 Barrier Resources System, as well as other 

 local, state, and federal programs, including 

 acquisition, restoration, protection, and man- 

 agement programs. 



References 



Ciilhton, T,J,. M.A, Warren, T.R. Goodspeed. D.G. Remer. 

 CM. BIacl<well. and J.J. McDonough III. 19Q0. Fifty 

 years of population change along the nation's coasts, 

 1960-2010. National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration Coastal Trend Series, 2nd rep. 41 pp. 



Williams. S.J.. K. Dodd. and K.K. Gohn. 1991a. Coasts in 

 crisis. U.S. Geological Survev Circular 1075. Reston. 

 VA. .^2 pp. 



Williams. S.J.. S. Penland. A.H. Sallenger, R.A, McBride, 

 and J.L, Kindinger. 1991b, Geologic controls on the for- 

 mation and evolution of Quaternary coastal deposits of 

 the northern Gulf of Me.xico. Pages 1082-1095 in N.C. 

 Kraus. K.C. Gingrich, and D.L. Kriebel. eds. Coastal 

 sediments '91, Vol. 1, American Society of Civil 

 Engineers. New York, 



U.S. Geological Survey. 1985. The national atlas, shoreline 

 erosion and accretion map. U.S. Government Printing 

 Office. Washinaton. DC. 



For further information: 



S. Jeffress Williams 



U.S. Geological Survey 



914 National Center 



Reston. VA 22092 



The Florida Keys are a chain of islands 

 extending 320 km ( 199 mi) along the south- 

 eiTi edge of the Florida Plateau from Biscayne 

 Bay to the Dry Tortugas (101 km [63 mi] west 

 of Key West). The Florida Reef Tract, a band of 

 living coral reefs paralleling the Keys, extends 

 from Fowey Rocks to the Marquesas and 

 Includes about 130 km (81 mi) of bank reefs 

 and 6,000 patch reefs. For convenience, the 

 Keys can be divided into the upper, middle, and 

 lower Keys (Fig. 1). 



The environmental and economic impor- 

 tance of the Florida Keys is indicated by the 

 many protected or regulated areas, which 

 include several national wildlife refuges, 

 national parks, marine sanctuaries, and state- 

 protected areas (Fig. 1). Because many recre- 

 ational and commercial activities occur in 

 nearshore habitats, these areas have high poten- 

 tial for environmental damage. 



Relatively high rates of human population 

 increase (28%-44%) are predicted over the next 

 20 years in some parts of the Keys; Monroe 

 County, which includes all of the Keys, had a 

 population growth of 160% during the past 40 



years. Human activities associated with 

 increased population growth may well ultimate- 

 ly disrupt the Florida Keys marine ecosystem 

 and damage the area's overall economy. In 

 recognition of this possibility, the Florida Keys 

 National Marine Sanctuary was designated in 

 1990 under the Marine Protection, Research, 

 and Sanctuaries Act, U.S. Public Law 101-605. 

 The sanctuary includes 9,515 km- (3,673 mi-) 

 of coastal waters around the Florida Keys. The 

 Sanctuaries and Reserves Division of the 

 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis- 

 tration was charged with developing a compre- 

 hensive management plan and regulations to 

 protect sanctuary resources (NOAA 1995). We 

 focus on the current status of Florida Keys reef 

 fishes and areas where research is needed 

 immediately. 



The Fish Fauna 



The diversity and richness of fishes in the 

 Florida Keys are unparalleled in shelf waters of 

 the continental United States and reflect the 

 mixing of dissimilar faunal components 



Reef Fishes of 

 the Florida 

 Keys 



by 



William F. Smith-Vaniz 

 National Biological Service 



James A. Bohnsack 



National Marine Fisheries 



Service 



James D. Williams 

 National Biological Service 



