The third land-based Keys coral nursery operated by Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in Key Largo is now open for free public visits for up to 12 people. Fridays at 10 a.m., tours at Reefhouse Resort & Marina are scheduled. You can make reservations at mote.org/KeyLargo. Mote outplants coral along the whole Florida Keys reef … Read more
At its July meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved the final rule establishing a statewide Vessel Turn-In Program (VTIP) as part of the Derelict Vessel Prevention Program. The new rule will create a voluntary program to remove at-risk vessels before they become derelict, which helps Florida’s environment and public safety. The … Read more
Divers interested in viewing the underwater phenomenon of coral spawning can join Florida Keys dive operators during select coral spawning charters — twilight trips to shallow reefs on or around the full moons in August and September to watch the reproductive action along the continental United States’ only living coral barrier reef. Scientifically observed and … Read more
In recognition of World Oceans Day promoting ocean preservation, Key Largo’s Coral Restoration Foundation is hosting its annual Coralpalooza Saturday, June 4, featuring in-person reef diving spanning from Key Largo to Key West. Coralpalooza is one of the world’s largest coral restoration efforts, and helps raise awareness about the importance of the preservation and conservation of the … Read more
Thanks to the recent efforts of four local divers, there are several hundred less invasive lionfish wreaking havoc on Florida Keys reefs. Team Forever Young, consisting of Tony Young, Jason Vogan, Jeff Tharp, and Luke Rankin, collected 426 invasive lionfish while participating in the 2022 Earth Day “Locals” Lionfish Derby, hosted by Reef Environmental Education … Read more
In honor of Earth Month 2022, the Coral Reef Conservation Program invites you to participate in educational webinars about the wonders of our underwater national treasure: Florida’s Coral Reef. See the flyer for the 2022 Florida’s Coral Reef Webinar Series. 2022 Florida’s Coral Reef Webinar Schedule Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday April 5, 2022 Marine Invertebrate Identification (Part 1) Register April … Read more
The Florida Keys are a coral island (key) archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about 15 miles (24 km) south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key … Read more
Divers interested in viewing the underwater phenomenon of coral spawning can join Florida Keys dive operators during select Coral Reef Spawning charters — twilight trips to shallow reefs on or around the full moons in August and September to watch the reproductive action along the continental United States’ only living coral barrier reef. Scientifically observed … Read more
FWC, DEP, and our coral reef restoration partners announce the recent successful outplanting of 1,152 coral colonies along the Florida Coral Reefs as part of the largest coordinated experimental outplanting effort in Florida to date. Reef restoration experiments in Florida have never been replicated on such a large scale before, with 24 outplanting sites spanning from … Read more
Divers and snorkelers can explore a portion of the continental United States’ only coral barrier reef while enjoying an Underwater Music Festival that promotes reef preservation Saturday, July 10, in the Lower Florida Keys. The 37th annual Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival, a melodic experience that spotlights environmentally responsible diving as well as reef protection, … Read more
If exploring the continental United States’ only living coral barrier reef is on travelers’ bucket lists this summer, the “Florida Keys Reef Explorer” undersea adventure giveaway offers an ideal chance to win a Coral Reef Discovery trip to discover the dynamic ecosystem. To salute Earth Day, the Keys challenge — designed to be fun and … Read more
Effective April 1, 2021, regulation changes will go into effect at Western Dry Rocks that prohibit fishing from April 1 – July 31. These changes are aimed at providing benefits for multiple recreationally and commercially important species that aggregate to spawn at Western Dry Rocks, including permit, mutton snapper, gray snapper, and yellowtail snapper. The … Read more
At its February meeting, the FWC approved a proposal to protect multi-species fish spawning aggregations near an area known as Western Dry Rocks. “This decision is based on sound science conducted not only by FWC but also by partners at Bonefish & Tarpon Trust,” said FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto. “This science-based recommendation has been endorsed by … Read more
Nursery-grown elkhorn coral transplanted into Dry Tortugas National Park survived and thrived, growing twice as fast as corals planted in other locations in the Florida Keys, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study published in Endangered Species Research. USGS researchers are studying the growth and success of nursery-grown transplanted corals in the Florida Keys; research … Read more
NOAA is expanding Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary from approximately 56 square miles to approximately 160 square miles to protect additional important Gulf of Mexico habitat. The move builds upon the sanctuary’s rich 30-year history of scientific studies and public review of the preservation of this special place. The expansion adds 14 additional reefs and banks … Read more
Caribbean King crab could help save threatened coral reefs by keeping excessive seaweed growth under control, a promising new study claims. Experiments on the Florida Keys showed the Caribbean king crab is better than other species at removing overgrown seaweeds that threaten the reefs, by eating it. When introduced to experimental plots on coral reefs, the greedy … Read more
Scuba Diving magazine named the Florida Keys among the worlds for 2020,. Florida Keys Diving.
Florida Reef Fish State and Federal regulations require all commercial fishers and recreational anglers fishing for any reef fish species to have and use certain gear.
Coral researchers have been working hard to learn more about how coral functions — especially how it reproduces — to help save it. Recently scientists turned their focus to ridged cactus corals, a species pulled from the reef in 2014 by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and NOAA Fisheries when it was threatened by … Read more
The hard corals of the Florida Keys reefs have spent eons developing a simple system to perpetuate the species. Coral Spawn, it’s one of nature’s mysteries that works without human intervention or complete understanding. The coral spawn is scientifically observed and documented each year along the continental United States’ only living coral barrier reef, which … Read more