12th Meeting of the United States Coral Reef Task Force

December 2-3, 2004

by John Brandt, MASNA's Industry/Legislation/Ocean Conservation Representative

Miami, Florida - With nearly 500 attendees, the 12th meeting of the USCRTF was one of its largest to date. South Florida’s environmental professionals, scientists, local government officials and residents made up a good portion of the attendance. The coral reefs of South Florida represent a unique but endangered underwater ecosystem and national treasure. There is a steady significant increase in South Florida’s population, coastal development, industry and tourism. The interface of land-based threats with the near-shore fringing reefs taxes this entire fragile ecosystem in its ability to adapt to anthropogenic changes. Much of the meeting was focused on the issues and information related to the coral reefs in the State of Florida.

The Task Force announced the joining of three new non-voting members: Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands.

A number of Task Force updates, action items, presentations on reef conservation and a short history of South Florida development were given over the two days of the meeting. The Public Comment portion of the meeting had 21 individuals from various organizations voicing their concerns about the status and conservation of coral reefs.

The Task Force passed two new resolutions:

1) Resolution on Coral Spawning. The Task Force called for all federal agencies that are conducting activities in the vicinity of coral reefs to evaluate any activity impacts on coral reproduction and life cycles. The Task Force also asked for continued and increased information on coral spawning events to improve the potential for conservation.
2) Resolution on Interagency Mitigation Working Group. The Task Force called for interagency groups (federal, state and territories) to work together to develop and implement a more effective and efficient mitigation process for coral reefs.

Chair of the White House Council of Environmental Quality – James L. Connaughton announced that President Bush requested $2.7 million for the fiscal year 2006 to help support state and territory reef conservation strategies.

Also announced was a new partnership of organizations to share information and engage in joint projects on advancing the science and conservation management of coral reefs. These organizations include US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Sanctuary Program, NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, the State of Florida and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority of Australia.

Awards were given to many outstanding individuals and organizations for advancements in scientific knowledge and reef conservation management.

The Marine Debris Coordinating Committee announced that the Department of the Navy would be training on marine debris action strategies. This is primarily focused on the removal of discarded or lost commercial fishing nets.

American Samoa announced that it is experiencing more waste reaching its coral reefs from small pig farms, than from human sources.

The International Trade Subcommittee repeated its findings that the trade in marine ornamental species continues as a potentially damaging and unsustainable practice in some regional capacities. They note that there are “over 400 inappropriate species in the trade which include species that do not survive well or are poisonous.”

Local Action Strategies updates were given by NOAA and Representatives from the States and Territories. NOAA has estimated that the total cost of all Local Action Strategies for 3 years would amount to about $29 million. Already, $11.6 million has been committed. Much of the first year project funds are coming from a redirection of existing funding for various agencies. These include NOAA, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the US Department of the Interior (DOI).

There were a number of Special Presentations given including updates on the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Initiative, an update on the final report of the US Commission on Ocean Policy, announcements of two new reports coming in 2005 – USCRTF report “Implementation of the National Coral Reef Action Strategy” and “The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely Associated States: 2004”. A special presentation was given by John Day, of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, on efforts of conservation at the Great Barrier Reef. A local youth organization associated with the World Wildlife Fund named “Team Panda”, gave individual presentations on their efforts to protect Florida’s reefs and on their opinions about how climate change may effect coral reefs.

Future USCRTF meetings were announced for March 2-3, 2005 in Washington DC and for fall 2005 in Palau.