The survey interview schedules were distributed to commercial fishermen, 

 commercial and recreational enterprises, fish houses and tropical specimen 

 collectors who could be expected, judging from other studies and surveys, to 

 depend on Looe Key for part of their livelihood. Commercial fishermen 

 and businesses which provide recreational services, such as dive boat 

 shops and marinas, were the main businesses surveyed. 



Twenty-five interview schedules dealing with their 1978 catch, were 

 completed by commercial fishing businesses. This number represents 2.6 

 percent of fishermen/ boats in Monroe County estimated to be commercially 

 active in 1977-1978 (see Mathis et al , 1979 p. 15), and represented an 

 important portion of those active in the area under consideration. One 

 major tropical specimen collector and one fish house responded, as well as 

 two out of six dive shops and charter boats, one marina and a boat rental 

 and camping gear business. 



The interview schedules were designed to obtain (1) a representative 

 sample from which to derive information on the total population user 

 group in the Looe Key area, (2) information on businesses' total income 

 generated by the Looe Key area, (3) information on other potential 

 sources of income to users, such as fishing or recreational diving areas 

 other than the area directly around Looe Key reef. The sample was derived 

 from meetings arranged with fishing representatives (members of the Organ- 

 ized Fishermen of Florida and marine agents), interviews with members of the 

 community, and the assistance of a local citizen with research and academic 

 experience who was familiar with the fishing industry. 



The Looe Key reef itself was part of a 5.32 square mile area in the 

 survey that contained representative zones of the Looe Key ecological system 

 and coincided with the intermediate size boundary option for the 

 proposed sanctuary (Boundary Option #2). 



While proposed sanctuary boundary alternatives range from 1 square 

 mile (#1) to 10 square miles (#3), this intermediate size provided a 

 good basis for analysis. 



The year 1978 was selected as the sample year. Although new fishermen 

 and dive shops have entered the area since then, county and State data 

 are only available for 1978. Thus, to provide a statistical check, 1978 

 was used. 



B. Looe Key Reef Area Sample Survey Results 



1. Commercial Fishermen. 



Twenty-five commercial fishermen (boats) in the vicinity of Looe Key were 

 surveyed, living between SevenMile Bridge in the north and Saddlebunch Keys in 

 the south. The major keys included in the survey were Bahia Honda Key, Big 

 Pine Key Summerland Key, Cudjoe and Ranrod Keys. 



A previous survey by the University of Florida in 1978 indicated that 48 

 percent of Monroe County fishermen lived within one mile of their fishing ports 

 and roughly 64 percent lived within three miles. (Boat and fisherman travel 

 information, Mathis et al , 1978, p. 19). 



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