CHAPTER FOUR ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES 



I. INTRODUCTION 



In order to discuss the potential environmental, social and economic 

 consequences of various boundary and regulatory alternatives considered 

 by NOAA, human activities were grouped, as follows: 



Coral collecting 



Commercial fishing 



Tropical specimen collecting (tropical fish and invertebrates) 



Spearfishing 



Anchoring 



Snorkeling, SCUBA diving 



Removal of Historic and Cultural Resources 



Discharges 



Regulatory alternatives analyzed for each of these activities range 

 from the legal status quo, i.e. no proposed sanctuary regulations to 

 the banning of the activity within the sanctuary boundary recommended. 

 The discussion of the status quo alternative for each activity contains a 

 description of the existing environmental, economic, and social conditions. 



Economic analysis of the regulatory alternatives centers on economic 

 impacts associated with the 5 sq nm boundary alternative. Boundary Alternative 

 #2 was selected for detailed analysis as the preferred alternative because it 

 encompasses the five ecological elements at Looe Key and satisfies the Sanctuary 

 Program objectives. 



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