Keys marine ecosystem faces struggles

Kevin Wadlow - 

A new report assessing ecosystem conditions in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary grades out around a C-minus -- maybe.

"It's a very stressed ecosystem," sanctuary Superintendent Sean Morton said.

"It takes a long time for recovery and there are a lot of pressures out there."

The first-time "Conditions Report 2011" for the Keys, compiled by National Marine Sanctuaries Program staff consulting with scientific experts, assessed 14 questions relating to water quality, living resources and habitat.

Of those, eight in the Keys sanctuary were rated as fair to poor. Three were fair and one was undetermined.

One issue -- the population of "selected key species" including coral, sea urchins, grouper and conch -- was listed as poor. That means the lack of the species could harm "ecosystem integrity" or has reached the point where the prospect of a complete recovery appears "unlikely."

Only the relative stability of major habitat types including mangroves and ocean bottom was listed as good to fair. Nothing was described a solid good.

Six environmental issues are believed to be getting worse, with five listed as unchanging.

Because of sewage treatment programs under way throughout Monroe County, the human impact on nearshore water quality was listing as "improving."

"There is some sobering news and some good news," said Southeast U.S. Regional Sanctuaries Manager Billy Causey, the Keys sanctuary's first superintendent.

"It clearly points out that all we are confronted with did not start on Nov. 16, 1990," when Congress designated the sanctuary, Causey said. "Many of our problems started way back, some time ago."

Fixing a complex marine ecosystem degraded by a century of manmade stress -- nearshore development, climate change, vessel groundings, pollution and overfishing, among others -- doesn't come quickly, sanctuary managers said in releasing the 108-page "Conditions Report 2011" on Thursday.

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