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Ancient Reef Threatened by Dredge Project
Reef Protection Report to Document
and Save Northernmost Coral Reef
Press Release
Contact:
Dan Clark, Cry of the
Water, 954-753-9737
Jessica
Vallette Revere, PEER, 202-265-7337
Ft. Lauderdale, FL —
Thursday, August 23, 2001,
Cry of the Water, a coral reef monitoring group in Ft. Lauderdale, FL,
has documented unexpectedly high coral cover and coral reef species diversity
off the Broward County shoreline in an area that is now threatened by a massive
dredge and fill project.
Prior surveys of the area
have missed or underestimated the size and extent of large stands of staghorn
coral reef and ancient coral colonies that are found close to shore. Further,
early agency planning documents repeatedly stated that the 3 million cubic yard
dredging project using 7 offshore dredge sites would not significantly impact
the reefs of Ft. Lauderdale.
The best shallow reefs in Ft.
Lauderdale are close to the burial area. Over 25 acres of shallow essential fish
habitat, hard bottom and coral, will be directly buried and many more acres will
also be indirectly affected. These reefs contain more then 1/2 of all the coral
species found in the Caribbean and some coral colonies are between 500 and 1000
years old.
“Killing or damaging the last
remaining good shallow reefs in east Florida by dredging and filling would by
like dynamiting the last giant redwood stand” said Dr. Tom Goreau president of
The Global Coral Reef Alliance.. “At a time when reefs are showing the effects
of multiple stresses, any activities that would cause any further damage could
irreversibly degrade the reef ecosystem and damage local fisheries.”
These findings are documented
in a new report by Cry of the Water and the Global Coral Reef Alliance titled
"Reef Protection in Broward County, Florida" (see
www.cryofthewater.org). Research teams conducted dives for the past year to
map uncharted coral colonies in and near the impact area of the proposed dredge
and fill project to temporarily widen local beaches. Ft. Lauderdale's remaining
coral reefs can continue to support major diving and fishing industries, and
protect the coast for years to come if not further damaged by massive dredging
projects.
“It is time that we take a
common sense approach to marine resource management in Broward County. To damage
or destroy the reefs that currently protect the shore line will only move us
further away from our goal of sustainable coastal management.” said Dan Clark,
President of Cry of the Water.
The report, color photographs of the reef, and a short
excerpt from the accompanying video can be viewed at
www.cryofthewater.org.
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