Page 50 - Coral Reef Teachers Guide

The Key West Marine Park KEY WEST MARINE PARK
is located on the oceanside of the
island of Key West, Florida, from Duval
Street to the White Street Pier. Public Access: The public can access the Key West
The three buoyed areas are for swimming KEY WEST N Marine Park from four locations: South Beach at the
and snorkeling and are closed to motorized Flagler Ave. W E southern end of Duval St., Dog Beach at the end of
vessels. For boaters, there are two William St. KEY WEST Vernon Street, the Mary and John Spottswood
access lanes to the shoreline. Washington St. Johnson St. MARINE S Waterfront Park at the foot of Seminole Street, and
➚
PARK
Waddell St.
Higgs Beach from Reynolds Street to White Street.
REST BEACH
SOUTH Alberta Ave. John and Mary White St. CB HARVEY PARK
Seminole Ave.
Spottswood
BEACH South St. Vernon Ave. Waterfront Reynolds Ave. Casa Marina Ct. Swim Zones: These are areas designed to provide a safe
swimming and snorkeling experience without danger from
Park
REACH LOUIE’S COCONUT Atlantic Blvd. motorized vessels. Stay within these zones for maximum
RESORT BACKYARD CASA MARINA HIGGS BEACH
BEACH RESORT
RESORT WEST MARTELLO safety. These are excellent areas to learn how to snorkel and
DEWEY
LA MER &
HOUSE
Duval St.
Simonton St.
TOWER become familiar with snorkeling equipment before heading to
ATLANTIC SHORES
Whitehead St.
the offshore reefs. The swim lane off of Higgs Beach is a good
swimming pier WHITE STREET which is home to marine life.
SOUTHERNMOST HOTEL
SOUTHERNMOST snorkeling area, but please avoid standing on the bottom
POINT
Motorized Vessel Access Lanes: There are
two areas designated within the park to provide
access and egress to the shoreline for all motorized
best snorkeling
Vessel Vessel
approaching traffic Access Lane Access Lane approaching traffic FISHING vessels. Stay well within these lanes when
PIER
approaching or leaving the shoreline of the park.
These Rules Apply to All Areas of the Park: • The park boundaries include the underwater cable from the Prohibited Activities in Swim Zones: Prohibited Activities in
• The Key West Marine Park is a voluntary no take zone; no Western Union line that once provided communications between • Operating a motorized vessel within the Vessel Access Lanes:
collecting, removing, injuring, or possessing any dead or living Key West and Cuba. Do not move, remove, injure, or possess boundaries of the swim-only areas. Motorized • The access lanes are slow speed/no wake
marine life including coral, live rock, fish, tropical fish, these or other historical resources within the park; they are for vessels must stay within the designated access areas. Do not operate a vessel at a speed in
invertebrates, plant, conch, coral or live rock. No fishing, everyone to enjoy! lanes. Do not operate a vessel propelled or excess of slow speed within either of the two
netting, or spearfishing of marine life. State law prohibits spear • Please be a good boater; operating a vessel in a manner which powered by an internal combustion engine designated access lanes
fishing within 200 feet of a public beach. It is illegal to collect endangers life, limb, marine resources or property is prohibited. within any of the no-motor swim zone areas
Queen Conch. • The demarcation buoys provide navigational aids to identify identified and marked by demarkation buoys. • No overnight mooring or anchoring in the
• Don’t teach your trash to swim! Please dispose of all trash in the swim lanes and motorized vessel access lanes. Do not access lanes, which are designed to allow
receptacles. No discharging or depositing trash or other damage or remove them. Report all missing buoys to Reef Relief • No anchoring within the swim zones; this area is vessels to approach and exit the park.
pollutants into the waters of the park. (305)294-3100. designated for swimmers and snorkelers.

Fish The Key West Marine Park is home to many the rocks. To the west, the shoreline Threats Corals and seagrasses expel their symbiotic algae. Storms and hurricanes
varieties of fish. From the pier at Higgs Beach, a platform changes to a sandy beach where Baitfish need clean clear nutrient-free wreak extensive damage. Corals are the canaries in the
of beach rock forms most of the shoreline that shelters juvenile permit, a small round tropical ocean waters to thrive and coal mine for our planet’s health.
mangrove and school master snapper and grunts. Grunts schooling silver fish, can be found. a great deal of sunlight to grow, so Overharvesting of fish and other sealife upsets the
produced an unusual sound and are closely related to In deeper water and along the good water quality is essential to delicate balance of life and maximum sustainable
snappers but are gen- seawalls and jetties are yellow and their survival. Turbidity, sedimen- yields for many species have been exceeded. Destructive
erally smaller (normally black striped Sargent Major, three tation and pollution reduce these fishing techniques damage reef habitat. Anchors
between 12–18 inches). spot damsel fish, porcupine fish, conditions. Algal blooms caused by dropped on reefs, accidental boat groundings, propellor
Snappers snap their jaws trunkfish, and queen angelfish. excess nutrients stress slow growing dredging, and diver/ snorkeler impacts from fins,
when hooked. Yellowtail Beginning 50 yards from shore, corals and seagrasses, reduce hands, equipment or standing on corals can crush
snappers swim in loose colorful parrotfish, snappers, porgies oxygen, and inhibit photosynthesis. fragile coral polyps. Marine debris, especially plastics
schools while others are and multitudes of grunts gather Poor water quality also promotes and monofilament line, damages corals and is deadly
solitary. At times, large near sponges, sea fans and corals. coral diseases. The harvest of coral for birds, fish and turtles that become entangled in it or
schools of baitfish such Elongated needlefish, small barra- and live rock destroys reefs. Rising ingest it. Seagrass die-offs affect fish and other sealife
as anchovies, silversides Grunts cuda and at times, young tarpon sea temperatures cause coral that cannot survive in such conditions. Do your part to
and ballyhoo gather in swim through the area as well. Snapper bleaching, stressing corals that protect our coral reef ecosystem.