Explanation of Indicator
Groundings of vessels on coral reefs and seagrass beds have serious
detrimental effects on the health and viability of these systems.
Groundings can cause extensive damage to coral reefs and can scar
the ocean floor which interferes with the growth of seagrass on
the bottom. Many people who visit the reefs own their own boat,
are familiar with the reefs, and cause no damage. However,
significant numbers of people are completely inexperienced, not
only concerning the reefs, but with how to run their boats as well.
This has resulted in a large number of groundings on the reefs and
seagrass beds, with injuries ranging from only slight propeller gashes
in coral heads to extensive destruction of colonies, especially elkhorn
and staghorn corals. Reef visitors are not the only culprits, however,
as larger vessels also have crashed into the reefs and seagrass beds,
apparently having missed the channel markers. In 1987 in the Key Largo
National Marine Sanctuary alone there were forty boat and ship
groundings.1
Data Characteristics
SOURCE
The data for the 1994 number of groundings can be obtained by
contacting Lauri MacLaughlin, Resource Management Specialist,
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, 216 Ann Street, Key West,
Florida 33040, or at (305) 292-0311.
ACQUISITION
Data can be obtained in hard copy format at no cost.
COLLECTION
The data were collected for 1994 only. There are no plans to continue
data collection in the future. The data are primarily obtained for
the portion of the Keys within the Florida Keys National Marine
Sanctuary and also the portion of Everglades National Park within
Florida Bay. Information was collected on the number of groundings
by what was grounded upon and whether resource damage was caused.
The Florida Marine Patrol also collects data on the number of groundings but does not characterize the information by the damage caused or by what type of system was impacted.
Data Limitations
The 1994 data collected by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
are for only the portion of the Keys within the Sanctuary and for the
portion of the Everglades National Park within the Florida Bay; it is
not a comprehensive data collection for all coastal counties. Further,
the data collected by the Florida Marine Sanctuary are underestimated
because they include only the number of groundings that were reported.
Many people are able to unground themselves (with or without assistance
from other boaters) and then do not report the incident. Furthermore,
information on the benthic habitat associated with the grounding is not
consistently recorded.
Data Analysis
The number of reported groundings in the Florida Keys National Marine
Sanctuary in 1994 was 551. This includes groundings from recreational
vessels and industrial or research vessels.
Recommendations
It is recommended that the Florida Coastal Management Program work
with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary to annually collect
the number of reported groundings within the Florida Keys National
Marine Sanctuary boundaries. The Florida Coastal Management Program
should also work with the Florida Marine Patrol to collect the number
of groundings for all coastal counties and to characterize this
information by the type of damage caused and by what type of natural
system was impacted. This should also be done annually. The Florida
Coastal Management Program should work with these two entities to
coordinate the collection efforts and ensure consistency.