An Evaluation of Mooring Buoys in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

Matthews, Thomas; Donovan-Potts, Pat

This study documents and evaluates boat use relative to the location of mooring buoys within the Florida Keys National Marine sanctuary (FKNMS) in comparison to observations of boat use. Mooring buoys are semi-permanent anchoring devices boaters can use instead of anchoring on coral reefs. Mooring buoys effectively prevent anchor damage and can be used to control access to coral reefs. Access to coral reefs is currently unrestricted yet managers are responsible for both the preservation and accommodation of these marine environments for public's use. Mooring buoys are an on-site management tool for balancing these two contradictory responsibilities. Mooring buoys were originally placed along the reef tract by various organizations (Appendix 1) in an effort to promote safe access and to limit anchor damage to the reef. Additionally, carefully placed mooring buoys can effectively limit access to threatened areas or promote access to different areas. Specifically, this report recommends placing mooring buoys at 14 new locations, eliminating mooring buoys at 1 location, increasing mooring buoys at 5 locations, and decreasing mooring buoys at 10 locations. Boat size and activity is also characterized at five reefs (Sand Key, Western Sambo, Looe Key, Big Munson patch reefs, and Sombrero Key) in the middle and lower Keys. For each of these five reefs, hourly boat counts from throughout the day are reported. Finally, a comparison of boating activity at a marked (Big Munson patch reef) and an unmarked (Cook Island patch reef) reef is included to examine the effect daymarkers have on boating activity.