From the Citizen KeysNews
Officials try to clarify new rules on corals
BY TIMOTHY O'HARA
Citizen Staff
Federal officials implementing "threatened species" rules for elkhorn and staghorn corals sat down with Florida Keys tropical fish collectors, trap fishermen, dive boat operators and conservationists Wednesday to try to quell fears of new and onerous regulations or more no-fishing areas.
Keys fishermen, divers and coral researchers want clarification from the National Marine Fisheries Service as they try to understand the complicated rules designed to protect the two main reef-building corals of the Keys. One rule defines "critical habitat" and the other sets up protections and exemptions for research.
Commercial trap fishermen fear more limits will be placed on an industry that already is heavily regulated and the target of a state trap-reduction program. Jeff Cramer, a trap fisherman and board member of the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen's Association, called for fairness and asked the Fisheries Service representative what in the two rules addresses recreational fishermen dropping anchors on coral — or careless divers injuring corals.
The federal government is considering language that encourages such programs as Blue Star of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanc-tuary. That program recognizes eco-friendly dive operators who warn patrons not to touch, step on or remove coral, and who explain coral reef ecosystems to their customers.
There is no proposed language in the rules that calls for such programs to be mandatory, said Jennifer Moore, who is working on the rules for National Marine Fisheries Service.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also was represented at the meetings this week. The state agency and its federal counterparts are discussing what is known as a Section 10 permit, which would allow for "incidental" impact on coral from commercial trapping. The permit would give the fishermen some immunity. Trap fishing has been recognized as a possible threat. Fishermen generally don't drop traps on reefs, but the traps can be carried onto a reef tract by storms.
Keys conservationists, fishermen and divers also want to make sure the government targets larger threats, such as pollution and global warming.
Those concerns were echoed by the Centers for Biological Diversity, which sued the Bush administration in an effort to force it to address global warming. The center's attorney, Miyoko Sakashita, wants to see more language in the critical habitat rule that addresses global warming, which she describes as "definitely one of the key threats now, and will be in the future." Sakashita applauded the Fisheries Service for designating critical habitat.
The area designated as critical habitat by the rule runs from West Palm Beach to the Dry Tortugas. The Fisheries Service also identified habitat areas off Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
"Habitat and substrate are important, but the critical habitat rule does not address water temperature," Sakashita said. "They defined the scope of critical habitat too narrowly. Water quality and specific temperature is essential to corals. This needs to be part of the critical habit rule."
The habitat rule does not address companies that emit greenhouse gases or those upstream from coral habitat that produce runoff. But the rule dealing with protections may have the teeth to hold power companies and other forms of industry that pollute accountable, according to the Fisheries Service.
"For these types of activities there is a federal nexus that handles that," said Moore of the Fisheries Service. "The [Environmental Protection Agency] sets air quality standards, and that agency would have to determine if there is an effect on threatened or endangered species."
In July, the Fisheries Service empaneled a team of experts to come up with a recovery plan. The group will meet for a week in September, Moore said. In the months that follow, National Marine Fisheries Service will come up with a plan.
"This will be a blueprint for recovery with specific actions for conservation," Moore said. "There will be specific actions that are needed for each locality or region."
[email protected]
Officials try to clarify new rules on corals
BY TIMOTHY O'HARA
Citizen Staff
Federal officials implementing "threatened species" rules for elkhorn and staghorn corals sat down with Florida Keys tropical fish collectors, trap fishermen, dive boat operators and conservationists Wednesday to try to quell fears of new and onerous regulations or more no-fishing areas.
Keys fishermen, divers and coral researchers want clarification from the National Marine Fisheries Service as they try to understand the complicated rules designed to protect the two main reef-building corals of the Keys. One rule defines "critical habitat" and the other sets up protections and exemptions for research.
Commercial trap fishermen fear more limits will be placed on an industry that already is heavily regulated and the target of a state trap-reduction program. Jeff Cramer, a trap fisherman and board member of the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen's Association, called for fairness and asked the Fisheries Service representative what in the two rules addresses recreational fishermen dropping anchors on coral — or careless divers injuring corals.
The federal government is considering language that encourages such programs as Blue Star of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanc-tuary. That program recognizes eco-friendly dive operators who warn patrons not to touch, step on or remove coral, and who explain coral reef ecosystems to their customers.
There is no proposed language in the rules that calls for such programs to be mandatory, said Jennifer Moore, who is working on the rules for National Marine Fisheries Service.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also was represented at the meetings this week. The state agency and its federal counterparts are discussing what is known as a Section 10 permit, which would allow for "incidental" impact on coral from commercial trapping. The permit would give the fishermen some immunity. Trap fishing has been recognized as a possible threat. Fishermen generally don't drop traps on reefs, but the traps can be carried onto a reef tract by storms.
Keys conservationists, fishermen and divers also want to make sure the government targets larger threats, such as pollution and global warming.
Those concerns were echoed by the Centers for Biological Diversity, which sued the Bush administration in an effort to force it to address global warming. The center's attorney, Miyoko Sakashita, wants to see more language in the critical habitat rule that addresses global warming, which she describes as "definitely one of the key threats now, and will be in the future." Sakashita applauded the Fisheries Service for designating critical habitat.
The area designated as critical habitat by the rule runs from West Palm Beach to the Dry Tortugas. The Fisheries Service also identified habitat areas off Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
"Habitat and substrate are important, but the critical habitat rule does not address water temperature," Sakashita said. "They defined the scope of critical habitat too narrowly. Water quality and specific temperature is essential to corals. This needs to be part of the critical habit rule."
The habitat rule does not address companies that emit greenhouse gases or those upstream from coral habitat that produce runoff. But the rule dealing with protections may have the teeth to hold power companies and other forms of industry that pollute accountable, according to the Fisheries Service.
"For these types of activities there is a federal nexus that handles that," said Moore of the Fisheries Service. "The [Environmental Protection Agency] sets air quality standards, and that agency would have to determine if there is an effect on threatened or endangered species."
In July, the Fisheries Service empaneled a team of experts to come up with a recovery plan. The group will meet for a week in September, Moore said. In the months that follow, National Marine Fisheries Service will come up with a plan.
"This will be a blueprint for recovery with specific actions for conservation," Moore said. "There will be specific actions that are needed for each locality or region."
[email protected]
