The Experimental Oculina Research Reserve preserves the Oculina Banks, a reef of ivory bush coral (Oculina varicosa) off the coast of Fort Pierce, Florida. Oculina varicosa is a U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service species of concern.[1] Species of concern are those species about which the U.S. Government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service, has some concerns regarding status and threats, but for which insufficient information is available to indicate a need to list the species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).
| Experimental Oculina Research Reserve | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Location | Florida, USA |
| Nearest city | Fort Pierce, Florida |
| Coordinates | 28°N 80°W / 28°N 80°W |
| Area | 1,030 km2 (400 sq mi) |
| Established | June 27, 1994 |
| Governing body | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
Location
editIn 1984, a 92 square-nautical-mile (316 km2) portion of these reefs was designated the Oculina Habitat Area of Particular Concern. In 1994, the area was closed to all manner of bottom fishing and was redesignated a research reserve. In 2000, the marine protected area was expanded to 300 square nautical miles (1,030 km2) and prohibited all gears that caused mechanical disruption to the habitat.[2]
Conservation
editCommercial and recreational harvesters heavily exploited reef fish, such as grouper and snapper, prior to the establishment of the reserve, and extensive areas of ivory bush coral habitat had been reduced to rubble by trawling or dredging, with few or no living coral colonies remaining in sections of the bank.[3] Reef fish populations in the impacted areas have become sparse. The reserve is now undergoing habitat restoration projects.
References
edit- ^ NOAA Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources. "Proactive Conservation Program: Species of Concern". Retrieved 2009-02-18.
- ^ Reed JK (2000). "Oculina Coral Banks of Florida: Conservation and management of a deep-water reserve". In: Hallock and French (Eds). Diving for Science...2000. Proceedings. of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (Proceedings of the 20th Annual Scientific Diving Symposium). Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved 2010-11-19.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Reed JK, Koenig CC, Shepard AN, Gilmore Jr RG (2007). "Long Term Monitoring of a Deep-water Coral Reef: Effects of Bottom Trawling". In: NW Pollock, JM Godfrey (Eds.) the Diving for Science…2007. Proceedings. of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (Twenty-sixth annual Scientific Diving Symposium). Archived from the original on November 22, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
External links
edit- A Particular Concern: Protecting Deep-Sea Corals
- The Experimental Oculina Research Reserve: Oculina Habitat Restoration Archived 2006-10-08 at the Wayback Machine
- Oculina Coral Banks 2002
- Oculina Coral Banks 2003
- Experimental Oculina Research Reserve
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