This damage has been well documented by the park's research staff. With the input and support of the local community, the park has installed moorings and established protective zones around several of the more sensitive reef and seagrass areas. This guide will help boaters understand what they can do to help preserve the park's marine resources so that future generations will have the opportunity to enjoy the park as well. Mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs are interrelated ecological systems. Many fish and shellfish depend on more than one of these for food and shelter.
Coral reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world, equivalent to tropical forests.
Corals are fragile living organisms that only grow a few inches a year or less. Striped sergeant majors, rainbow colored parrotfish and spiny lobsters are some species which live on the reef. Some fishes, such as snappers and grunts, migrate daily from the shelter of reefs to feed in adjacent seagrass beds at night. Green sea turtles and queen conch also depend on seagrass for food. The juveniles of many species rely on both mangroves and seagrass beds, moving to deeper water and offshore reefs as they mature.