## Southeast Florida Coral Reef Evaluation and Monitoring Project 2004 Year 2 Final Report
June 2005

A report of the

Florida Fish and Wildlife Cons ervation Commission, Fish & Wildlife Research Institute and the National Coral Reef Institute, N ova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center pursuant to FDEP contract number # G0099

for Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Office of Coastal & Aquatic Managed Areas Biscayne Bay Environmental Center 1277 N.E. 79th Street Causeway Miami, FL 331381 

### Southeast Florida Coral Reef Evaluation and Monitoring Project 2004 Year 2 Final Report

INTRODUCTION The coral reef ecosystem in Florida extends beyond the Florida Keys northward through MiamiDade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Martin Counties; however, the primary focus for coral reef research and long-term monitoring has long been in the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas. Coral reef monitoring efforts in the Keys grew expone ntially with the estab lishment of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS). Since 1996, the Coral Reef Evaluation and Monitoring Project (CREMP) has documented cha nges in reef resources throughout the Florida reef tract from Key West to Ca rysfort. In 1999 the project was expanded to include 3 sites in the Dry Tortugas.

In 2003 CREMP was further expanded to include 10 sites offshore southeast Florida in MiamiDade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. Two y ears (2003 and 2004) of sampling have been completed. This CREMP expansion, named the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Evaluation and Monitoring Project (SECREMP), will assist in filling gaps in coverage of knowledge and monitoring of coral reef ecosy stems nationwide and complement the goals of the National Monitoring Network to monitor a minimum suite of parameters at sites in the network. In addition, these efforts will assist the National M onitoring Network in building its capacity to archive biotic attributes of co ral reef ecosystems nationwide.

The reef system from northern Monroe County to Palm Beach County can be characterized as a series of discontinuous reef lines that parallel the shor eline. As an example, in Broward County there are generally three lines of r eef (terraces) present that crest in 3 to 5 m (First Reef), 7 to 9 m (Second Reef), and 16 to 23 m (Third Reef) water depths (Figure 1).

Most previous monitoring efforts (Dodge et al., 1995; Gilliam et al., 2001, 2002) along the southeast coast originated as impact and mitigation studies from adverse environmental impacts to specific sites (dre dge insults, ship groundings, pipeli ne and cable deployments, and beach renourishment). Studies like these are generally of limited duration (1–3 years) and focus on restoration with some baseline data co llection at specific reference areas.

Beginning in 1997, in response to beach renour ishment efforts in Broward County, annual collection of environmental data (sedimentatio n quantities and rates a nd limited temperature measurements), and coral, sponge, and fish abunda nce/cover data was conducted at 18 sites. In 2000 Nova Southeastern University (NSU) assu med the monitoring res ponsibility from the County. During that year, five ne w sites were added. In 2003 two additional sites were added. Monitoring of these 25 sites is ongoing a nd is scheduled to continue through 2007.

Previous monitoring of reef habitats off Miam i-Dade and Palm Beach counties has been short term and localized, and of little use in evaluating the overall hea lth and condition of the northern extension of the Florida reef tract. Estimates of cover are available from some local areas such as those in Broward County but, to a large exte nt, stony coral cover th roughout the southeast Florida reefs is poorly defined. Because the ar ea has few long-term data sets on abundance2 and/or cover for benthic components, it is difficult to provide scie ntifically valid information on status and trends for these reefs.

In 2003, the Florida Department of Environmenta l Protection (FDEP) proposed and was awarded funding for inception of coral reef monitoring along the so utheast Florida coast. To ensure that this monitoring is of the highest scientific quality, and consistent with National Monitoring Network protocols, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection contracted this work en toto to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conserva tion Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWC-FWRI). The Cora l Reef Research Group at FWC- FWRI has a long history of monitoring reefs in the FKNMS. Their on-going FKNMS Coral Reef Evaluation & Monitoring Project (CREMP) dates back to 1996 and has included parameters (e.g., depth, habitat delineation, and/or percent live/dead cover of co rals, submerged aquatic vegetation, macroalgae, sponges) for benthic habitat char acterization sinc e its inception.

Figure 1. View of reef tracts along the southeast Florida coast.

Project Planning Planning for the Year 1 fieldwor k began in early 2003. Year 1 fieldwork included locating, installing, and monitoring sites in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties. Principal investigators from FWRI supplie d to and discussed with rese archers from the National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI) the Standa rd Operating Procedures for s ite selection and installation. Representatives from Miami-Dade County Depart ment of Environmental Resource Management (DERM), Broward County of Environmental Prot ection Department (EPD), and Palm Beach County Environmental Resource Management (ERM) were kept informed on the progress of the project and invited to participat e in the site selection and sampling. On 16 June 2003 a workshop Palm Beach County

Broward County

Fir st R eef Sec ond Reef Third Reef

Broward County

D ade C ounty 

### Southeast Florida Coast3 was held at Nova Southeastern University to discuss the purpose, background, and methods of CREMP and SECREMP. Participants included pers onnel from NCRI, FWRI (St. Petersburg and Tequesta), EPD, DERM, and ERM.

Planning for the Year 2 fieldwork began in ear ly 2004. NCRI managed all the Year 2 planning and fieldwork. Prior to sampli ng, FWRI, EPD, DERM, and ERM were notified of the proposed sampling dates and invited to participate.

Monitoring Site Selection and Sampling The project initially required three sites be in stalled and sampled in each of three southeast Florida counties (Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach). For Miami-Dade and Broward Counties one site was to be selected and installe d on each off the three reef tracts from nearshore to offshore. Because Palm Beach does not have three sepa rate reef tracts, one site was selected on a patch of nearshore hardbotto m and two sites were selected on the offshore reef tract. Additionally, because of the unique Acropora cervicornis patches located o ff Broward County, a fourth site was added to the pr oject in Broward to monitor one of these patches. All 10 sites include four standard CREMP stations.

Personnel from NCRI, FWRI, and each of the Coun ties were present during site selection. Each county assisted by providing vess el support. Industrial Divers Co rp. (IDC) was subcontracted to install the reference stakes. Pr oject Year 1 sampling was conduc ted between 17 June and 20 August 2003. Project Year 2 sampling was conducte d between 3 June and 22 July 2004. Table 1 provides depths and locations of each of the SE CREMP sites, and Table 2 provides the Year 1 and Year 2 work dates including the date sampling was completed at each site.

Table 1. Location and depth for the 10 SECREMP monitoring sites (BC = Broward County; DC = Miami-Dade County; PB = Palm Beach County).

Site Code Depth (ft) Latitude (N) Longitude (W)

BCA 25 26 ° 08.985’ 80 ° 05.810’

BC1 25 26 ° 08.872’ 80 ° 05.758’

BC2 40 26 ° 09.597’ 80 ° 04.950’

BC3 55 26 ° 09.518’ 80 ° 04.641’

DC1 25 25 ° 50.530’ 80 ° 06.242’

DC2 45 25 ° 50.520’ 80 ° 05.704’

DC3 55 25 ° 50.526’ 80 ° 05.286’

PB1 25 26 ° 42.583’ 80 ° 01.714’

PB2 55 26 ° 40.710’ 80 ° 01.095’

PB3 55 26 ° 42.626’ 80 ° 00.949’4 Table 2. Location and Year 1 and 2 work dates (BC = Broward County; DC = Miami-Dade County; PB = Palm Beach County).

Site Code Date Selected Date Installed Yr 1 Date Sampled Yr 2 Date Sampled

BCA 5-06-2003 5-30-2003 6-19-2003 6-11-2004

BC1 5-06-2003 5-30-2003 6-17-2003 6-14-2004

BC2 5-12-2003 5-29-2003 6-18-2003 6-03-2004

BC3 5-06-2003 5-28-2003 6-18-2003 6-09-2004

DC1 5-16-2003 6-2-2003 6-24-2003 6-15-2004

DC2 5-16-2003 6-4-2003 6-24-2003 6-15-2004

DC3 4-30-2003 6-6-2003 6-23-2003 6-04-2004

PB1 5-05-2003 6-12-2003 8-20-2003 7-21-2004

PB2 5-05-2003 6-11-2003 8-18-2003 7-21-2004

PB3 5-05-2003 6-11-2003 8-19-2003 7-22-2004

METHODS Each of the 10 SECREMP monitoring sites consists of four monitoring stations delineated by permanent stainless steel markers. Stations are approximately 2 x 22 meters. The SECREMP stations have a north-south orient ation, which is generally parall el to the reef terraces of southeast Florida. Within each station, field sa mpling consists of a station species inventory (SSI), three video transects ( 100, 300 & 500), and a bio-eroding sponge survey (Figure 2). The SECREMP sampling protocols generally follo w standard CREMP sampling protocols.

Video Transects Video was selected as the method for cover eval uation because it is a rapid and efficient means of field data collection that provides a permanen t data record. Traditiona l transect and quadrat methods used in terrestrial environments are of ten too time consuming for underwater use, in addition to being less accurate and precise.

Percent cover of live coral, sessile benthic biota, and selected substrates is determined annually from video transects filmed at each station. Th e videographer films a cl apperboard prior to filming each transect. This provides a complete record of date and location of each segment recorded. Three video transects are filmed at a constant distance above the substrate at each station.

Two lasers converge 40 cm from the camera lens and guide the videogra pher in maintaining the camera at a uniform distance above the reef surf ace. Filming is conducted perpendicular to the substrate at a constant swim speed of about 4 meters per minute.5 Figure 2. Typical layout of SECREMP station.

All transects are filmed with a SONY TRV 900 digital video ca mcorder. The minimum number of digital images necessary to represent each st ation are framegrabbed and then written to and archived on CD-ROM.

Analysis of benthic cover images is predicated on selecting video frames that abut, with minimal overlap between images. At a filming distance of 40 cm above the reef surf ace, the field of view is approximately 40 cm wide. A set of abutting im ages that best covers the station is grabbed directly from the video tape.

The Year 1 and 2 image analyses were conduc ted using a custom software application, PointCount, for coral reefs. The software places ten random points on each image. Under each point, selected benthic taxa (s tony coral species, octocoral, zoanthid, sponge, seagrass, and macroalgae) and substrate are identified. The softwa re has a “point and clic k” feature that feeds the identification data into a b ackend spreadsheet. After all imag es are analyzed, the data are converted to an ASCII file for Quality Assuranc e and entry into the master ACCESS data set.

Standard video protocol is modified sligh tly for site BCA (Broward County nearshore Acropora cervicornis patch), and the Palm Beach County sites. St andard protocol call s for a plastic chain to be laid across the substrate to delineate the tr ansect, and act as a guide for the videographer. At site BCA, extensions are added to the transect end stakes in order to raise tr ansect lines above the coral. Fiberglass tapes are used to delineate th e transects and guide the videographer instead of 

## Station La y out
S p ecies Inventor y Video Transects6 chains. All transect videos are taken on the east side of the tran sect tapes. These modifications reduce the potential for damage to the A. cervicornis colonies during sampling.

Off Palm Beach County, there is generally a st rong north-flowing current present at offshore sites (PB2 and PB3). This current adds safety ri sk and greatly increases the effort required to complete the sampling. In order to re duce risk, the use of fiberglass ta pes is used in lieu of chains to mark transects and guide the videographer. Tran sect videos at all Palm Beach County sites are taken on the east side of the transect tapes. A dditionally, all transects are videotaped with the diver swimming into the current to slow the di vers speed (all stations in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties are sampled north-south).

Station Species Inventory (SSI) Stony coral species (Milleporina a nd Scleractinia) presence is r ecorded at each station. Two observers conduct simultaneous, timed (15 minute) i nventories within SSI ar ea and enter the data on underwater data sheets. Each observer reco rds all stony coral taxaand enumerates longspined urchins ( Diadema antillarum ) within the station boundaries. During the species inventory, any species within a station that exhibits spec ific signs of either bl eaching or disease is documented on the data sheet. Diseases are sort ed into three catego ries: black band, white complex (including white plague, white band, white pox), and other (dark spot, yellow band, and idiopathic diseases). After conducting the surv ey, the observers compare data (5 minutes) underwater and each confirms the species record ed by each observer. Data sheets are verified aboard the vessel and entered into the database. All data and data sheets are then forwarded to Fish & Wildlife Research Institute for quality a ssurance checks. This method facilitates robust data collection with broad spatial coverage at optimal expenditure of time and labor.

Bio-eroding Sponge Survey Three clionid sponge species ( Cliona delitrix, C. lampa , and C. caribbaea ) recorded by CREMP are known to be aggressive co ral bio-eroders and over-grower s. Three 1 meter wide belt transects provide the maximum spatial coverage within each station. A 22 meter survey tape marks the center of reference for each transect. A diver delineates the survey area by swimming directly above the tape holding a meter stick perpendicular to the tape and parallel to the reef surface. The location, species, and size of each clionid sponge colony and species of stony coral affected by the clionid colony is record ed. Area is measured by means of a 40 cm 2 quadrat frame subdivided into 5 cm squares. The area occupied by the clionid colony is r ecorded to the nearest half square.

YEAR 2 (2004) RESULTS Stony Coral Species Richness Stony coral species richness were summarized from SSI data. In 2004, a total of 29 stony coral species were identified within the 10 SECREMP sites (Table 3). These 29 species were also identified in 2003. The mean number of speci es identified per site was 10.34. Three species, Montastraea cavernosa
, Porites astreoides and Dichocoenia stokesii were identified at all 10 sites, and 15 species were identified in all three counties. Miami-Da de and Broward Counties had 23 stony coral species identified a nd Palm Beach County had 22 (Figure 3).7 Miami-Dade County had a mean 11.58 stony coral sp ecies per station whil e Broward County had 9.88 species per station and Palm Beach had 9.83 species per sta tion. Stony coral species counts at Broward County sites were slightly sk ewed by site BCA, which is dominated by Acropora cervicornis . Without site BCA, Broward County had a greater mean number (11.17) of species per station. The offshore sites (t hird reef sites DC3, BC3, and PB 3) had lower species richness than the first and second reef sites.

Table 3. Stony coral species presence/absence fo r all SECREMP sites in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties for 2004. Key: A, 1, 2, 3 = species present at sites; O = species absent.

Broward Miami-Dade Palm Beach Species List Present/Absent Present/Absent Present/Absent Acropora cervicornis A 1 O Agaricia agaricites A, 1, 2 1 2, 3 Agaricia fragilis 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 O Agaricia lamarki 2, 3 O O Cladocora arbuscula O O 1 Colpophyllia natans A, 1 1, 2 1, 2 Dichocoenia stokesii A, 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 Diploria clivosa A 1 1 Diploria labyrinthiformis 1 1, 3 O Diploria strigosa O 2 1, 2 Eusimilia fastigiata 1, 2 2 O Madracis decactis 1, 3 2, 3 2, 3 Madracis mirabilis O O 2 Meandrina meandrites 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 Millepora alcicornis A, 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 Montastrea annularis complex 1, 2 1, 2, 3 3
Montastrea cavernosa A, 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 Mycetophyllia aliciae O O 2, 3 Mycetophyllia lamarckiana O 2 O Oculina diffusa 1 O 1 Phyllangia americana 1, 2 1, 2 1, 2 Porites astreoides A, 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 Porites porites A, 2 1, 2 O Scolymia cubensis 2, 3 2, 3 2 Scolymia lacera O O 3 Siderastrea radians A, 1, 2, 3 1, 2 1, 2 Siderastrea siderea 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 Solenastrea bournoni A, 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 1 Stephanocoenia michelinii 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 2, 38 Figure 3. Stony coral species richness at SECRE MP sites for Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties for 2003 and 2004 (n= 12 stations for Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties, n= 16 for Broward County).

Stony Coral Condition In addition to recording stony coral species pr esence, the SSI protoc ol also includes an assessment of stony coral condition, the presence or absence of bleaching and diseases. Disease categories included black band, white complex (white plague, white band, white pox), and “other” (dark spot, yellow band, and idiopathic diseases). In 2004, images were taken of each diseased colony. In order to track the fate of thes e colonies, images will also be taken of them in 2005.

Partially bleached colonies (no completely bl eached colonies were observed) were observed more frequently than diseased colonies. Bl eaching was recorded at sites DC3, DC2, DC1, BC1, BC2, BC3, PB3, PB2, and PB1, with BC2 and PB2 having the greatest incidence of bleaching.. Diseased colonies were identified at four sites (10 stat ions). “Other” diseases were seen at four sites (11 stations), while “white complex” diseases were identified at one site (one station). Most of the “other” diseased colonies were Siderastrea siderea with Dark Spot. Black band disease was not seen within any of the 10 sites. Tabl e 4 lists all stony coral species that displayed symptoms of disease. Table 5 compares stony co ral species with the pr esence of disease and partial bleaching at each of the stations in 2003 and 2004. Quantitative data (number of diseased or partially bleached colonies) was not collected in 2003. Bleach ing data is qualitative only (presence/absence) for each st ation. Disease (probably white band) and bleaching was present within site BCA, A. cervicornis thicket, however, due to th e “thicket” growth form of A. cervicornis it is not possible to quantify the number of affected colonies within a station. 22 24

21 23 23

22

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Broward Miami-Dade Palm Beach 

### CountyNumber of Stony CoralSpecies 2003 20049 Table 4. List of all sites and stations with diseas ed stony corals and the stony coral species affected

(O = other disease, W = white complex disease).

County Site Station Species Affect ed No. of Colonies Condition Miami-Dade DC1 1 Siderastrea siderea 3 O DC1 2 Siderastrea siderea 1 O DC1 3 Siderastrea siderea 1 O DC1 3 Montastrea annularis 1 O DC1 4 Siderastrea siderea 2 O DC1 4 Dichocoenia stokesii 1 W DC2 1 None 0
--- DC2 2 None 0 --- DC2 3 None 0 ---
DC2 4 None 0 ---
DC3 1 None 0 --- DC3 2 None 0 --- DC3 3 None 0 ---
DC3 4 None 0 ---
Broward BC1 1 Siderastrea siderea 1 O BC1 2 Siderastrea siderea 1 O BC1 3 Siderastrea siderea 1 O BC1 4 None 0
--- BC2 1 None 0
--- BC2 2 None 0
--- BC2 3 Siderastrea siderea 1 O BC2 4 None 0
--- BC3 1 None 0
--- BC3 2 None 0
--- BC3 3 None 0
--- BC3 4 None 0
--- Palm Beach PB1 1 Siderastrea siderea 2 O PB1 2 None 0
--- PB1 3 Siderastrea siderea 0 --- PB1 4 Diploria clivosa 1 O PB2 1 None 0 --- PB2 2 None 0 --- PB2 3 None 0 --- PB2 4 None 0 ---
PB3 1 None 0 --- PB3 2 None 0 --- PB3 3 None 0 --- PB3 4 None 0 ---10 Table 5. Stony coral species within each site and station with the presence of disease or partial bleaching (A = absence of bleachin g or disease; H = bleaching, O = other disease, W = white complex disease).

County Site Station Species 2003 2004 Miami-Dade DC1 1,3,4 Siderastrea siderea A H DC1 2 P orites astreoides H H DC1 2, 3 Siderastrea siderea A O DC1 4 D ichocoenia stokesii A W DC1 4 Siderastrea siderea O O DC2 1 N one A A DC2 2 M ontastrea annularis O A DC2 2 Solenastrea bournoni A H DC2 3 N one A A DC2 4 N one A A DC3 1 N one A A DC3 2 N one A A DC3 3 N one A A DC3 4 M ontastrea annularis A H Broward BC1 1, 2, 3 Siderastrea siderea A O BC1 2 M ontastrea cavernosa A O BC1 3 Siderastrea siderea A H BC1 3 M ontastrea cavernosa O A BC1 3 P orites astreoides H A BC1 4 N one A A
BC2 1 Siderastrea radians H A BC2 1 D ichocoenia stokesii A H BC2 2 M eandrina meandrites A H BC2 2 Stephanocoenia michelini A H BC2 3 P orites astreoides A H BC2 3, 4 M ontastrea cavernosa A H BC2 3, 4 Siderastrea siderea A H, O BC2 4 Solenastrea bournoni W A
BC3 1 D ichocoenia stokesii H A BC3 1 Siderastrea siderea A H BC3 2 Siderastrea siderea H H BC3 3 M eandrina meandrites A H BC3 4 N one A A11 Table 5. Continued.

Sea Urchin Diadema Abundance Diadema sea urchin abundance was recorded for each station during the SSI sampling. No Diadema were seen at any of the 10 sites (40 st ations) in 2003. In 2004, six individuals were counted, one each at of the following stations: DC 2 station 4, BC1 stations 1 and 2, BC2 station 1, BC3 stations 3 and 4.

Stony Coral Cover Mean stony coral cover for the 10 SECREMP s ites was 5.9%. Broward County (13.04%) had the greatest mean stony coral cover followed by Palm Beach (1.23%) and Miami-Dade (1.09%) Counties (Figure 4). The dispar ity between the Broward sites and both the Miami-Dade and Palm Beach sites was due to the significantly greater coral cover at site BCA which had 39.63% stony coral cover, and site BC1 which had 11.76% stony coral cover. Site BCA is dominated by Acropora cervicornis with a cover of 39%. The remaining Broward sites BC3 and BC2 had stony coral cover similar to that at Miami-Dade and Palm Beach sites. Mean stony coral coverage for all sties is presented in Table 6. County Site Station Species 2003 2004
Palm Beach PB1 1 Solenastrea bournoni H, O H PB1 1, 2 Siderastrea radians H H PB1 1, 3 Siderastrea siderea A O PB1 2 M eandrina meandrites H A PB1 2 Solenastrea bournoni H A PB1 3 Siderastrea radians H A PB1 3 D iploria clivosa A H PB1 3 Oculina diffusa H A PB1 4 D iploria clivosa A H PB1 4 Siderastrea radians H A PB1 4 Solenastrea bournoni H, W H
PB2 1 M eandrina meandrites A H PB2 1 M eandrina meandrites A H PB2 1, 2 P orites astreoides A H PB2 1, 2, 3, 4 Siderastrea siderea A H PB2 3 Siderastrea radians A H PB2 4 Stephanocoenia michelini H PB2 4 M ontastrea cavernosa A H
PB3 1 N one A A PB3 2 D ichocoenia stokesii A H PB3 3 N one A A PB3 4 N one A A12 The offshore Miami-Dade (DC3) and Broward (BC3 ) sites had reduced coral cover compared to both second (DC2 and BC2) and first reef (DC1 and BC1) sites. Table 7 lists the mean cover for stony coral species at each site.

Figure 4. Mean percent stony coral cover at SECREMP sites in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties for 2003 and 2004.

Functional Group Benthic Cover Tables 8, 9, and 10 list the mean functional group cover for each County (Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach, respectively) a nd site. Functional groups included substrate (rock, rubble, and sediments), stony corals, octocora ls, zoanthids, sponges, and m acroalgae. Substrate dominated benthic cover at all sites (> 50%), ranging from 86.58% at BC2 to 53.37% at PB3 (Figure 5). Octocoral was generally the second most comm on functional group. Offshore (third reef) sites tended to have greater octocoral cover than inshore sites. Macroalgae cover was greatest at the Miami-Dade sites, while sponge cover was greatest at Palm Beach sites 11.15

1.07 1.26 13.04

1.09 1.23

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Broward Miami-Dade Palm Beach 

### CountyMean % Stony CoralCover 2003 200413 Table 6. Mean stony coral cover for SECREMP sites by county and habitat for 2003 and 2004.

County Site Code Habitat 2003 Mean % Coral Cover 2004 Mean % Coral Cover
Broward All All 11.15 13.04
BCA Nearshore 31.72 39.63 BC1 First Reef 12.21 11.76 BC2 Second Reef 0.40 0.44
BC3 Third Reef 0.28 0.35
Miami-Dade All All 1.07 1.09 DC1 First Reef 2.40 2.57 DC2 Second Reef 0.61 0.47 DC3 Third Reef 0.20 0.23

Palm Beach All All 1.26 1.23
PB1 First Reef 0.97 0.86 PB2 Third Reef 1.79 1.80 PB3 Third Reef 1.02 1.03

Table 7. Mean percent cover of stony coral sp ecies at SECREMP sites for 2004. BC = Broward County, DC = Miami-Dade County , and PB = Palm Beach County.

Percent Cover Stony Coral Species BC BCA BC1 BC2 BC3 DC DC1 DC2 DC3 PB PB1 PB2 PB3
A cropora cervicornis 9.75 38.99 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.10 0.31 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Colpophyllia natans 0.02 0.00 0.09 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.04 0.03 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00
D ichocoenia stokesii 0.01 0.00 0.04 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.03 0.02 0.01 0.05
D iploria clivosa 0.05 0.19 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.06 0.00 0.00 0.05 0.16 0.00 0.00
D iploria labyrinthiformis 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
D iploria strigosa 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.09 0.28 0.00 0.00
E usmilia fastigiata 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.03 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Meandrina meandrites 0.05 0.00 0.03 0.17 0.01 0.08 0.04 0.19 0.00 0.17 0.12 0.20 0.19 Millepora alcicornis 0.02 0.00 0.01 0.03 0.05 0.06 0.04 0.05 0.10 0.09 0.01 0.08 0.16 Montastraea annularis complex 0.13 0.00 0.52 0.00 0.00 0.10 0.29 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Montastraea cavernosa 2.74 0.2 10.59 0.06 0.12 0.41 1.10 0.04 0.10 0.69 0.17 1.34 0.57
P orites astreoides 0.09 0.26 0.04 0.01 0.05 0.15 0.39 0.05 0.00 0.03 0.00 0.02 0.06 Scleractinia 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Siderastrea radians 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.03 0.10 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00 Siderastrea siderea 0.08 0.00 0.21 0.07 0.04 0.08 0.17 0.06 0.01 0.04 0.01 0.10 0.00 Solenastrea bournoni 0.05 0.00 0.17 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.04 0.01 0.00 0.02 0.06 0.01 0.00 Stephanocoenia michelinii 0.04 0.00 0.04 0.08 0.05 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.02 0.0014 . Table 8. Mean percent cover of functional groups in Broward County for SECREMP sites in 2003 and 2004. Mean values are based on n = 16 for Broward County (BC).

Table 9. Mean percent cover of functional groups in Miami-Dade County for SECREMP sites in 2003 and 2004. Mean values are based on n = 12 stations for Miami-Dade County (DC).

Table 10. Mean percent cover of functional groups in Palm Beach County for SECREMP sites in 2003 and 2004. Mean values are based on n = 12 stations for Palm Beach County (PB). Percent Cover 2003 Percent Cover 2004 Functional Group BC BCA BC1 BC2 BC3 BC BCA BC1 BC2 BC3
Substrate 73.59 55.85 73.21 87.09 78.2 77.17 64.96 77.37 86.58 79.76 Stony Coral 13.04 39.63 11.76 0.44 0.35 11.15 31.72 12.21 0.40 0.28
Octocoral 7.83 2.03 6.41 6.89 15.99 7.24 2.34 6.46 6.63 13.54 Macroalgae 2.16 0.96 4.04 1.92 1.74 1.94 0.03 0.43 3.70 3.62
Porifera 2.34 0.47 1.99 3.27 3.64 1.89 0.27 1.84 2.67 2.79
Zoanthidea 0.60 0.84 1.40 0.14 0.03 0.59 0.68 1.68 0.00 0.00

Other Biota 0.38 0.23 1.00 0.25 0.05 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01

Percent Cover 2003 Percent Cover 2004 Functional Group DC DC1 DC2 DC3 DC DC1 DC2 DC3
Substrate 70.25 53.04 79.50 78.20 73.42 72.21 69.56 78.48 Stony Coral 1.09 2.57 0.47 0.23 1.07 2.40 0.61 0.20

Octocoral 10.36 7.31 11.54 12.25 12.00 5.86 14.67 15.48 Macroalgae 12.87 31.44 3.26 3.92 8.51 13.32 9.97 2.25

Porifera 2.61 1.08 4.02 2.74 3.16 0.85 5.14 3.50

Zoanthidea 1.54 4.57 0.05 0.00 1.80 5.36 0.03 0.00

Other Biota 1.27 0.00 1.16 2.66 0.04 0.00 0.03 0.09

Percent Cover 2003 Percent Cover 2004 Functional Group PB PB1 PB2 PB3 PB PB1 PB2 PB3
Substrate 66.72 82.55 61.92 55.69 68.71 83.54 67.23 55.37 Stony Coral 1.23 0.86 1.80 1.03 1.26 0.97 1.79 1.02
Octocoral 21.30 2.88 31.20 29.84 20.12 2.70 27.32 30.34 Macroalgae 1.40 1.39 0.26 2.54 0.12 0.10 0.00 0.27
Porifera 7.61 9.82 4.15 8.87 8.10 10.29 3.53 10.46
Zoanthidea 0.68 0.78 0.05 1.20 0.67 0.55 0.09 1.36

Other Biota 1.06 1.71 0.63 0.83 1.02 1.84 0.05 1.1715 Figure 5. Mean percent cover of functional groups by county at SECREMP sites for 2003 and 2004. Substrate Stony Coral Octocorallia Macroalgae

Porifera Zoanthidea Other Biota 0 20 40 60 80 100



### % Cover

Broward Miami-Dade Palm Beach 

### 2003

0 20 40 60 80 100



### % Cover

Broward Miami-Dade Palm Beach 

### 200416 Bio-eroding Sponge Cliona delitrix was the only bio-eroding sponge species identified at any SECREMP site. C. delitrix was seen in all three Counties (Table 11) . Only site BCA did not have bio-eroding sponge present. Broward County had the greatest coverage of C. delitrix , while Palm Beach County had the greatest number of C. delitrix colonies. The first reef sites tended to have greater cover and more colonies than offshore (third reef) sites.

Table 11. Clionid sponge, C. delitrix , total colony area (cm 2 ), habitat type and number of colonies for 2003 and 2004. Note: Site BCA had no C. deletrix present during both years.

2003 2004

County Site Code Habitat Type Colony Area (cm 2 ) # of Colonies Colony Area (cm 2 ) # of Colonies Broward All All 7,062.5 14 5,465.6 53 BC1 First Reef 6,525 9 5,102.5 44
BC2 Second Reef 125.0 1 117.8 4
BC3 Third Reef 412.5 3 245.3 5 Miami-Dade All All 1,362.5 7 907.7 8
DC1 First Reef 287.5 4 284.6 4 DC2 Second Reef 1,000.0 2 593.7 3
DC3 Third Reef 75.0 1 29.4 1
Palm Beach All All 3,212.5 16 2,266.7 25 PB1 First Reef 1,787.5 4 1,854.6 19 PB2 Third Reef 1,175.0 9 323.8 5
PB3 Third Reef 250.0 3 88.3 1

DISCUSSION The coral reef ecosystem off southeast Florida is a marginal system near the environmental threshold for significant reef growth. Southeast Florida reefs generally have reduced stony coral species richness and stony coral cover than the Dr y Tortugas or Florida Keys coral reefs. Benthic cover by octocorals is, interestingly, very sim ilar throughout the Florid a reef system while southeast Florida reefs appear to have reduced macroalgae cover compared to reefs in the Dry Tortugas and the Florida Keys.

Although it is not possible to identify trends with onl y two years of data, in general, the status of the southeast Florida reef system has changed little fr om 2003 to 2004. Stony coral species richness (Table 3; Figure 3) and cover are very similar between years (Figure 4; Tables 6 and 7). There appears to have been a greater inciden ce of bleaching and disease in 2004 compared to 2003. The fate of the diseased colo nies will be tracked through the use of imag es taken of each colony in 2004. The percent cove r of the major functional groups has also remained similar between years (Tables 8, 9, and 10; Figure 5). S ubstrate and octocorals remain the two groups with the most cover for the region. Site BCA wa s added to the project as the fourth site in Broward County for the purpose of monitoring one of the unique Acropora cervicornis patches. With the recent interest in listing A. cervicornis as a protected species, it is important to note that BCA A. cervicornis cover increased slightly fr om 31% in 2003 to 39% in 2004.17 Despite their reduced diversity a nd coral cover compared to reefs in the Florida Keys, the coral reefs of southeast Florida repres ent a significant economic resour ce to the region. Between June 2000 and May 2001 visitors spent 28 million person-da ys enjoying artificial and natural reefs in southeast Florida. During the same period, r eef related expenditures amounted to some 1.81 billion dollars and generated 61,300 jobs in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties (Johns et al., 2003).

These important economic and recreational benefits are threatened as the coral reef environments of southeast Florida are under va ried and chronic stressors. This area is highly urbanized along the coast. Dredging for beach renourishment, ch annel deepening, and channel maintenance can have significant impacts on water quality. Chroni c turbidity and deposition of silt can smother sessile invertebrates and result in barren areas. Near shore reef areas are at risk from diverting of millions of gallons of fresh water into the ocean, and the resultant reduction in salinity and introduction of agricultural a nd industrial chemical contam ination, and excess nutrients.

Impacts from boating and fishing activities are a si gnificant threat to reef areas as damage from fishing gear and anchoring can be severe. Adve rse impacts from SCUBA divers can also occur. Traffic from large ports (Miami, Port Evergl ades, and Palm Beach) including cruise and container ships, military vessels, and oil tankers, can conflict with reef resources. Ships occasionally run aground and anchor on reefs caus ing extensive, and ofte n long-lasting damage. Other recent impacts include those of the installa tion of fiber optic cables deployed across the reefs, which may cause abrasion and detach ment of corals and sponges (Jaap, 2000).

The chronic nature of disturbances to, and the significant economic value of the southeast Florida reefs requires comprehens ive, long-term monitoring be c onducted to define change and help identify threats to the ecosystem. Scientifi cally valid monitoring of reefs will help local resource managers understand the implications of actions occurring in te rrestrial and adjacent marine habitats. This knowledge is necessary if resource managers are to development sound management plans for coral reef s that permit continued use, a nd realization of the economic value of these fragile marine ecosystems.

The expansion of the Coral Reef Monitoring Proj ect to include sites in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties has insured that this mi nimum suite of parameters is being monitored for the full extent of the Flor ida coral reef ecosystem. One of the goals of the NOAA Coral Ecosystem Monitoring Program is monitoring with an explicit link to assessing the efficacy of "coastal" management strategies. While a true e ffects study designed to assi st resource managers gauge potential effects from past or future impa cts (e.g., beach renourishment, pipelines, etc.) is not possible with our limited sample size, local resource managers (C ounty) were directly involved in choosing the sample s ites and were present during the site selec tion field work. Site BCA (Broward County Acropora cervicornis patch) is an example of a site specifically chosen by State and County resource managers in order to monitor potential change s to this unique area.

The partnership with Nova Sout heastern University and its constituent National Coral Reef Institute has worked to expand local capacity for maintaining long-term monitoring sites, complementing those being sampled as part of the National Coral Reef Monitoring Network. As18 a monitoring project under the Co ral Reef Conservation Grant Progr am for the Florida east coast, the SECREMP will continue characterizat ion of baseline ecosystem condition, inventory/mapping of biotic resour ces, and data base developmen t, providing resource managers with the critical information required to manage this valuab le natural resource.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The following Fish & Wildlife Re search Institute pe rsonnel assisted with project planning, management, site selection, and data collection and management and anal ysis: Jennifer Wheaton, Carl Beaver, Walter Jaap, Mike Callahan, Sele na Kupfner, Shannon Wade, Jim Kidney, Stopher Slade, Erin McDevitt, Er ic Ault, and Fred Voss.

The following NCRI personnel assisted with pr oject planning, management, data collection, analysis, and report writing: David S. Gilliam, Brian E. Ettinger, Daniel Fahy, Elizabeth Fahy, Shaun Gill, Jamie A. Monty, Lauren Shum an, Brian Walker, and Richard E. Dodge.

The following Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Resources Management personnel assisted with project planning, and site selection: T im McIntosh and Steven Blair.

The following Broward County Environmental Prot ection Department personnel assisted with project planning, site selection, and data collection: Ken Banks, Lou Fisher, Dave Stout, and Joe Ligas.

The following Palm Beach County Environmenta l Resources Management personnel assisted with project planning and site selection: Janet Phipps.

LITERATURE CITED Dodge, R.E., W. Goldberg, G.G. Messing and S. Hess. 1995. Final report Biological monitoring of the Hollywood-Hollandale beach renourishmen t. Prepared for the Broward County (BC) Board of County Commissioners, BC Dep. of Natural Resources (DNR), Biological Resources Division (BRD). 103 pp.

Gilliam, D.S., R.E. Dodge, R.E. Spieler, S. T. Thornton and L.K.B. Jordan. 2001 Marine Biological monitoring in Broward County, Florida: Year 1 Annual Report. Technical Report 01- 08. Prepared for the BC Board of County Commissioners, BC DNR, BRD. 62 pp.

Gilliam, D.S., R.E. Dodge, R.E. Spieler, S. T. Thornton and L.K.B. Jordan. 2002 Marine Biological monitoring in Browar d County, Florida: Year 2 Annua l Report. Technical Report 02- 01. Prepared for the BC Board of Co unty Commissioners , BC DNR, BRD. 67 pp.

Jaap, W.C. 2000. Coral reef restoration. Ecological Engineering. Vol.15:345-364.

Johns, G.M., V.R. Leeworthy, F.W. Bell, and M. A. Bonn. 2003. Socioeconomic study of reefs in southeast Florida October 19, 2001 as revised April 18, 2003. Silver Spring MD: Special Projects NOS 255 pp.