Over the years, citizens protective of the environment voiced concern over pollution, over-harvesting, physical impacts, and overuse in the Keys. Other management efforts were undertaken to protect the coral reefs of the Florida Keys. The nation's second national marine sanctuary was established in 1975 to protect 103-square nautical miles of coral reef habitat off Key Largo in the Upper Keys. In 1981, the 5.32 square nautical mile Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary was established to protect the very popular Looe Key Reef located off Big Pine Key in the Lower Keys.

Through the '80s, citizens voiced concern over mounting threats to the health and ecological future of the coral reef ecosystem. Concerns included deteriorating water quality throughout the region, and unexplained occurrence of coral bleaching, the die-off of the long-spined urchin, loss of living coral cover on reefs, a major seagrass die-off, declines in reef fish populations, and the spread of coral diseases. In addition, the threat of off-shore oil drilling galvanized the resident of the Keys in a unanimous concern for the future of the ecosystem.

In 1990 Congress designated the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Its boundary extends approximately 220 miles southwest from the southern tip of the Florida peninsula. Located adjacent to the Keys land mass are spectacular, unique, and nationally significant marine environments, including seagrass meadows, mangrove islands, and extensive living coral reefs. These marine environments support rich biological communities possessing extensive conservation, recreational, commercial ecological, historical, research, educational, and aesthetic values which give this area special national significance. These environments are the marine equivalent of tropical rain forests in that they support high levels of biological diversity, are fragile and easily susceptible to damage from human activities, and possess high value to human beings if properly conserved.

For over 20 years, National Marine Sanctuaries across the country have brought protection to the nation's special marine environments -- the coral reefs, kelp forests, pristine coastlines -- and the many wonderful creatures that live there. Sanctuaries protect entire marine ecosystems and strive to strike a balance among its many uses.

Text by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary