Seven Ways to #RespectOurReef
Anglers and divers: we need your help to protect the reef from further harm.
The Florida Reef System is truly one-of-a-kind: it’s the only coral reef system in the continental United States, stretching 358 miles from coastal Martin County, down through South Florida and the Florida Keys, to its tail end in the Dry Tortugas. These days, though, our Florida Reef is experiencing serious challenges, and those of us who enjoy and benefit from it the most can make an impact. Anglers and divers – please help us protect the reef from further harm by asking others to #RespectOurReef.
Those of us lucky enough to have this natural treasure in our backyard don’t just have an opportunity to preserve the Florida Reef—we have an obligation to respect and protect it, for our own enjoyment and for the benefit of future generations. The Florida Reef supports more than 70,000 Florida jobs and $6 billion in income. Dive shops, fishing charter operations and other related businesses all depend on this truly unique natural system for their livelihoods, underscoring the need for all of us to do our part.
Not everyone knows how sensitive corals are to touching, anchor damage and sunscreen. That’s why we’re asking anglers and divers who treasure our reefs to help spread these seven tips to #RespectOurReef.
1. Anchors Away! Whether you’re on the reef to fish or dive, make sure to anchor well away from coral heads. Check your surroundings before dropping anchor and aim for sandy bottom. Hitting live corals with anchors, anchor chains or lines can kill them or do serious damage. For extra guidance, try the Florida DEP’s free coral reef anchoring app.
2. Please Don’t Touch: Never, ever touch corals when you’re on the reef. It may be hard to believe, but just touching corals can kill them, badly harm them or spread disease from one coral to the next.
3. Use the Right Sunscreen: Many common sunscreen brands actually contain chemicals that are toxic to living corals. Wearing them while you’re swimming or diving the reef may keep you from getting burned, but they’ll do serious harm to the corals you came to see. Next time, take a minute to check the label and avoid buying sunscreens with these chemicals: oxybenzone, avobenzone and octinoxate.
4. Keep It Clean: Don't leave unwanted fishing lines or any other litter in the water, whether you’re on the reef or at the pier. These materials can be deadly to coral reefs and the critical fish stocks and sea life they support.
5. See It, Report It: Anglers and divers know the reef better than anyone, and recognize issues like coral bleaching and disease that others might not. If you spot these issues or any others, report them. Information is key.
6. Take the Pledge: Make a commitment to #RespectOurReef and take the pledge.
7. Go Viral: Share this page with your social media networks and encourage your fishing and diving buddies to get smart, follow your lead and join the #RespectOurReef movement.
Also, at home, know where your water comes from and where it goes. A restored Everglades ecosystem supplies us with clean, fresh water, but making sure it’s clean before it reaches the reef requires functional wastewater and stormwater treatment systems and individual responsibility. Do your part to keep pollution out of our ocean.
The Nature Conservancy and our partners at the Florida Reef Resilience Program are working hard to spread the word about the importance of respecting and preserving our one-of-a-kind Florida Reef. To learn more about how you can do your part, we encourage you visit the following sites:
The development of this webpage was supported by The Nature Conservancy under cooperative agreement award #NA16NOS4820106 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Coral Reef Conservation Program, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA, the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, or the U.S. Department of Commerce.
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