Table 18. NS&T Mussel Watch Project sampling sites in South Florida and the Florida Keys. 
Site 
Main 
Site 
Latitude 
Longitude 
Species 
Years 
location 
code 
(N) 
(W) 
collected 
of data* 
Mussel Watch 
PLQject 
North Miami 
Maule Lake 
NMML 
25° 56.13' 
80° 08.77' 
CV 
6 
Biscayne Bay 
Goulds Canal 
BBGC 
25° 31.39' 
80° 18.85' 
CV 
4 
Biscayne Bay 
Princeton Canal 
BBPC 
25° 31.13' 
80° 19.75' 
CV 
2 
Florida Keys 
Bahia Honda Key 
BHKF 
24° 39.52' 
81° 16.43' 
CS 
2 
Florida Bay 
Joe Bay 
FBJB 
25° 1 2.53' 
80° 32.0' 
CV 
1 
Florida Bay 
Flamingo Bay 
FBFO 
25°8.27' 
80° 55.25' 
CV 
1 
Everglades 
Faka Union Bay 
EVFU 
25° 54.08' 
81° 30.78' 
CV 
8 
Rookery Bay 
Henderson Creek 
RBHC 
26° 1.50' 
81° 44.20' 
CV 
9 
Naples Bay 
Naples Bay 
NBNB 
26° 6.85’ 
81° 47.20* 
CV 
8 
CV - Crassostrea virginica (American oyster). CS - Chama sinuosa (Smooth-edged jewel box). 
* Years of data available as of this writing. 
9.1.6.1.3. National Marine Sanctuaries 
The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) was established in 1990 under this Act 
and implemented in 1994. The Sanctuary extends from Card Sound to the Dry Tortugas and 
covers both sides of the Florida Reef Track. The Florida Keys encompass the 345-km long 
Florida Reef Track, the only living tropical coral reef along the mainland United States. There 
are three National Marine Sanctuaries established and managed by NOAA along the reef track: 
the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary, and the 
Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. There are also other sanctuaries in the area such as the 
National Key Deer Refuge, the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the Great White Heron 
National Wildlife Refuge, and the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. The ecosystem on the 
northern side of the Reef is similar to that of Florida Bay and the shore lines are characterized 
by mangrove communities. Urban development has resulted in riprap and gravel beaches, rocky 
shores, and seawalls. There are few sand beaches in the Florida Keys. The coral species most 
abundant in the Florida Reef Track are Montastrea annularis, M. cavernosa, Acropora palmata, 
A. cervicornis, Diploria spp., Siderastrea siderea, and Colpophyllia spp. Many of these species 
have been affected by coral bleaching, and white band and black band disease. Also, cold water 
resulting from the passage, in recent years, of severe cold fronts from Florida Bay across the 
reefs has stressed or killed many corals. The ecosystem has been impacted by excessive 
amounts of nutrients from Florida Bay and non-point sources, the effects of over development 
of the Keys, and of damage by large vessels such as ship groundings and minor oil spills. There 
are a number of mechanisms transporting water within the Keys (Schomer and Drew, 1982). 
These include oceanic currents, evaporation processes, tides, winds, freshwater flow (from 
land runoff and rainfall), and catastrophic climatological events such as hurricanes. Salinities 
are variable but are approximately 36 %o. 
A total of 30 stations have or will be established to monitor water temperature along the 
Florida Keys reef tract and along the Florida Bay side of the Keys. Most of these stations were 
established in 1990 and include thermographs deployed within 30 cm of the seabed at each 
65 
