Artificial reef monitoring in Florida coastal counties

This bulletin describes artificial reef monitoring programs in Florida. At least half thenation’s human-made marine reefs are estimated to be in Florida waters and high interestexists statewide among fishing, diving, governmental, economic and other stakeholders in theperformance of these structures and the habitats that they create. Further, the level andbreadth of activity in Florida makes it a bellwether, nationally and worldwide, for interestsconcerned with aquatic science, ecosystem management and environmental technology forhabitat restoration or creation.Recent developments in Florida have prompted increased interest and effort in “monitoring”of reefs. These include extensive studies and disseminating results by the academicresearch community and the advent of governmental funding for monitoring projects in Floridacounties. In response, this study was undertaken to gauge this growing field. Assessment of reefperformance—including evaluation of how well they meet objectives for which they werecreated—has been a neglected subject in many areas of the world. More immediate issues ofreef materials selection, siting and deployment usually take precedence in the short-term.A principal readership for this paper is the network of county-level organizations andindividuals whose largely independent efforts, taken as a composite, make up much of theFlorida reef “program.” Information presented here describes the extent and nature of reefmonitoring in Florida counties, how data are managed and aspects of communication aboutreefs. (16pp.)

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Seaman, William
Format:	monograph biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	University of Florida, Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 2004
Subjects:	Ecology, Fisheries, Engineering, Florida, artificial reefs, monitoring,
Online Access:	http://hdl.handle.net/1834/18362
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