Issues: Oceans

Seventy miles west of Key West, the remote waters surrounding the Dry Tortugas teem with 250 species of fish, dazzling displays of mushroom-shaped coral reefs and swaying seagrass beds. The waters serve as a marine nursery for grouper, snapper, shrimp and other species important to both commercial and sport fishing. The powerful Gulf Stream current washes eggs, larvae and juvenile fish from the remote Tortuga nurseries out to populate the waters surrounding the Florida Keys and the state's southern tip.

Human interventions like fishing and coastal development have long threatened marine ecosystems in the Gulf Coast. Even though the Dry Tortugas are relatively pristine, overfishing has depleted fish stocks and damaged coral habitat with fishing gear and anchors. In 2001, Florida and the federal government declared 150 square miles of the Tortugas' blue and lime-green waters to be a no-fishing marine reserve. Drilling, dumping and anchoring are also banned in the Tortugas Ecological Reserve. The protected area extends from shallow waters to depths of 1,800 feet -- much of which scientists are only now beginning to explore.

Since the creation of the reserve, the Dry Tortugas have become a refuge for large pink shrimp, lobster and yellowtail snapper, just a few of the species whose size and number are increasing under the new protections.

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Photos: top, Jim Raymont, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary; right and bottom, South Florida Water Management District