The 5 sq nm alternative encompasses all five ecological zones: Patch 

 Reef; Reef Flat; Fore Reef; Deep Reef and Deep Ridge. It also covers an 

 extension of the Fore Reef to the east discovered only recently as part of 

 the survey work for this EIS. 



The Patch Reef zone is a relatively shallow flat bottom area, covered 

 with extensive turtle grass manatee grass. Interspersed a.mong the sea- 

 grass beds are numerous patch reefs with very little profile. The Patch 

 Reefs within this zone are usually dominated by densely growing, large oct- 

 ocorals. The species diversity of octocorals on the Patch Reef is greater 

 than that of the Fore Reef and certain octocorals exist only on the Patch 

 Reef. The scattered stony corals reach only moderate size, but nevertheless 

 give the Patch Reefs enough structure to provide shelter for fishes and 

 invertebrates. In addition, the naturally rare pillar coral ( Dendrogyra 

 cylindrus ) is more likely to be found in the Patch Reef area than at the 

 Fore Reef. 



The significance of the Patch Reef zone as a shelter for a variety of 

 finfish and shellfish has been pointed out in a number of publications (e.g., 

 Zieman & Roblee, 1979). Without the protection of the interspersed Patch 

 Reefs, these animals would be unable to use the surrounding seagrass beds 

 as feeding grounds. This zone, together with the even shallower Reef Flat, 

 are Looe Key's nursery for juvenile fishes. In addition, the extensive 

 seagrass beds of both zones constitute the feeding ground for many deep- 

 water fishes migrating to these areas at night. 



The Fore Reef provides the deep sheltered channels for these migrations 

 from the Deep Reef to the shallow reef zones, while the much wider channels 

 on either side of the Fore Reef provide access for pelagic species. 



The Deep Reef todcO' still harbors territorial fishes such as groupers 

 which, given protection and time, may repopulate the apparently over-fished 

 Fore Reef zone. This could also be the case for conspicuously missing corals 

 which might, in time, repopulate the Fore Reef from the stock that live on 

 the Deep Reef. 



The main part of the Deep Reef exhibits a coral community of intermediate 

 to deepwater species, with some coral species growing abundantly here that no 

 longer occur on the Fore Reef. The Deep Reef, on the seaward side, is a slope 

 of increasing steepness, ending in a small dropoff to about 25 to 35 m depth. 

 Numerous surge channels with a profile of up to 1 .5 m provide habitat for 

 territorial reef animals such as grouper and lobster. 



Since the 5 sq nm alternative contains portions of the Deep Ridge as well 

 as the main four reef zones of Looe Key, it forms a representative "slice of 

 the ecological pie" through the reef tract in this area. 



Though Looe Key alone represents a small segment of the Florida reef 

 tract, it is possible that by focusing intensive management on smaller 

 discrete units such as Biscayne National Park, Key Largo National Marine 

 Sanctuary, John Pennekamp State Park, Fort Jefferson National Park, and 

 Looe Key, we can protect enough of the reef tract to achieve a measure of 

 success in insuring long-term viability. In addition, these discrete pro- 

 tected areas are tied together by the broader conservation measures afforded 



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