South Florida's marine life is limited

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© St. Petersburg Times
published July 31, 2002

In an effort to save South Florida's marine life -- especially the fish we relish at mealtime -- scientists are being forced to limit what we can catch and haul from the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Most Floridians always have believed that fish are an unlimited resource, that it could never run out. Marine scientists are trying to change that wrong-headed attitude. In what has been hailed the most ambitious study of marine life ever conducted in the United States, scientists recently counted the fish from the Dry Tortugas, through the Keys, to Key Biscayne.

This marine life census is significant to scientists because it is the first count of fish throughout the Florida Keys at one time. The count is critical because wildlife experts have indisputable evidence that South Florida's fish stocks are being depleted by commercial and recreational fishing.

The census, which included the endangered Dry Tortugas, North America's largest living coral reef, also will provide information about how to save and restore this disappearing underwater treasure.

At more than 16-million residents, Florida's population and all the ills that come with it have devastated our once-abundant numbers of grouper, grunt and snapper. In fact, scientists say, we have over-harvested 70 percent of all fish species.

Many fishermen, including some I spoke with in St. Petersburg, do not believe the marine scientists, arguing that they are exaggerating the numbers and discounting the impact of pollution and development.

James Bohnsack, a marine biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, disagrees, citing our belief that we have dominion over all living things, especially life in the seas: "This is what happens when you have 900,000 fishing boats and people who feel that it is their God-given right to go out and catch fish."

The long-term goal of the census is, of course, to provide information that can help save and replenish marine life in the waters of South Florida. A more immediate goal is to evaluate the impact of existing federal and state conservation measures and to implement new rules. If evidence indicates that no-fish zones work, officials say they will not hesitate to establish more of them. Fishermen, of course, are angry.

Scientists report that in an experiment to determine if untouched fish populations could replenish, federal wildlife officials last year banned fishing in 151 square miles in and around the Dry Tortugas. Five years ago, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary banned fishing in the waters around 23 smaller reefs.

I am happy to report that many other no-take zones are being contemplated as scientists digest the bad news of the Florida Keys census report and that of a study published last year by the British journal Nature. The journal states that the global catch has dropped by 360,000 tons since 1988.

A United Nations study indicates that 70 percent of fisheries worldwide are fully used, overfished or depleted. Further, a quarter of the world's 15 major fishing areas are fished at or beyond capacity.

Our fragile coral reefs are essential to the health of Florida's marine life, especially to the fish we enjoy in fine dining. For this reason alone, no-take zones are a necessary tool. Florida's coral reefs extend down the coast for 130 miles. Human activity, including global warming, are destroying them at alarming rates.

The Dry Tortugas, a keystone ecosystem, must be protected at all costs. This reef serves as a home, a source of food and a place of safety for more than 200 species of marine life. It also nurtures larvae and fish eggs that become "catch of the day" in our restaurants and homes up and down the coast.

No-take zones already have proved their value. In protected areas, the number of bigger fish far outnumber those in unprotected areas. Even the Goliath grouper, which was near extinction just 10 years ago, has made a spectacular comeback in the no-take zones.

What other evidence do commercial and recreational fishermen need to see the light, to get onboard the new effort to save one of our most valuable resources? From years of writing about this issue, I know for a fact that overfishing does more than deplete stocks and threaten habitats. It imperils coastal economies that rely on marine life.

Each year, I see more boats returning to shore with fewer fish. Each year, I see more saltwater anglers return home with empty ice chests. When will we learn -- and start caring -- that fish are a finite resource? Only so many snapper and grouper are left in the Atlantic and the gulf.

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