Implementing the Dry Tortugas National Park Research Natural Area Science Plan: The 5-Year Report 2012
Ziegler TA and Hunt J. 2012. Implementing the Dry Tortugas National Park Research Natural Area Science Plan: The 5-Year Report 2012. National Park Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
In 2007, the National Park Service (NPS) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) developed a science plan, Assessing the Conservation Efficacy of the Dry Tortugas National Park Research Natural Area, specifically to assess the effectiveness of a 46-mi2 Research Natural Area (RNA). The Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO) RNA is a no-take (all forms of fishing are prohibited), no-anchoring (strategically placed mooring buoys are provided) marine reserve that was implemented to protect shallow water habitats and reef fish species in conjunction with two nearby existing marine reserves, the Tortugas North Ecological Reserve (TNER) and the Tortugas South Ecological Reserve (TSER). This 5-year report summarizes the progress of science plan activities to date. Progress in implementing the science plan has been facilitated by cooperative relationships between federal and state agencies, academic scientists, and continuous coordination between the FWC and NPS. The results of monitoring programs and scientific studies presented here document existing baseline conditions and analyze how resources have responded thus far to the protection provided. The 5-year report is structured around the six focal topic areas described in the science plan. A summary of each project and an evaluation of RNA performance is provided here.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Ziegler, Tracy; Hunt, John
- Date of Issue
- 2012
- Publisher
- National Park Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
- Units
- DRTO , SFCN
- Keywords
- coral reef monitoring report, Dry Tortugas, Dry Tortugas National Park, Marine Fish Monitoring, Marine Fish Monitoring Report, research natural area, Science Plan
Contents
- Eight years of coral reef community monitoring: Results from inside and outside the Dry Tortugas National Park Research Natural Area
- Regional connectivity of fishes within the Tortugas region of Florida
- Spill over of select reef fish species in and near the Dry Tortugas National Park Research Natural Area
- Status of reef fish resources of the Tortugas region based on fishery-independent visual and trap survey assessments