2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWELVE - Conservation (§§ 1-16 — 8162) › Subtitle 3 - Water Protection (§§ 231 — 417) › Chapter 22 - Protection, Conservation and Management of Coral Reefs (§§ 241 — 241g) › § 241c - Program—Establishment

The Secretary shall establish a program for the protection, conservation and management of coral reefs to ensure the best use of the existing resources and implement the proper mechanisms to allow for the management, conservation and protection of coral reefs for the enjoyment and benefit of the people of Puerto Rico.
The Program shall establish effective communications with those Commonwealth and federal agencies and instrumentalities, as well as with those educational or scientific entities that may intervene with or have jurisdiction over any aspect of this chapter. An advisory committee is hereby created to be chaired by the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Bureau and constituted by the following permanent members or representatives thereof: the Chairpersons of the Planning Board and the Environmental Quality Board, the Director of the Tourist Company, the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, the Director of the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service, the Director of the Caribbean Fishing Administration Council, the Director of the National Sea Fishing Service, two (2) or more members of the scientific or academic communities, and any other member the Secretary may deem necessary, whose function is related to the purposes of this chapter and whose experience may allow him to provide the Secretary with the technical and professional expertise needed to implement this chapter.
The Program shall provide the scientific criteria needed to identify the reef recovery and the ecologically sensitive areas as well as the activities that must be restricted or prohibited in said areas. The Program shall furthermore provide for the formulation of the methodology needed to evaluate the socioeconomic impact of the prohibition or restriction of any human activity on said areas.
Reef recovery areas shall be established in order to achieve the following objectives: to maintain a large diversity of marine species and a high genetic and behavioral diversity; to maintain coral populations of reproductive size capable of increasing the population and the productivity of adjacent reef areas; to maintain a genetic pool of variable populations in the recovery area as insurance against the failure of the management plans for those areas where fishing and tourist recreational activities are permitted; to maintain control areas to study the impact of fishing activities and allow for the diversification of the economic uses of marine resources.
The Environmental Quality Board shall assist and provide the Secretary with any necessary help and information related to those environmental and polluting factors which directly or indirectly affect the coral reefs and the coral communities and, in particular, to those problems involving sedimentation, the discharge of any polluting wastes or substances and any environmental emergency.
The Program shall identify every source of environmental pollution harmful to coral reefs and coral communities and shall recommend the control measures needed to prevent said pollution and any negative impact on these resources.
The Program shall likewise examine and recommend the proper procedures for placing artificial reefs throughout the territorial waters of Puerto Rico so as to allow for an increase in the number and availability of the habitats and resources for the various species of reef organisms.
History —July 15, 1999, No. 147, § 5.