Dozens of community members gathered at Blake Library in Martin County after a federally appointed council voted to roll back longstanding protections for the Oculina Bank, a rare deep-water coral reef located just off the coast of Fort Pierce. The reef, found hundreds of feet below the surface, is unique because it thrives in deep, dark waters unlike most coral that needs shallow sunlight to survive. The Oculina Bank is home to more than 2,000 marine species and exists nowhere else on Earth.
In January, the South Atlantic Marine Fishery Council voted to reopen more than 24 square nautical miles of the reef to shrimp trawling, an area larger than the island of Manhattan. Scientists say trawling destroyed as much as 90% of the reef before federal protections were put in place decades ago. Dr. Grant Gilmore, a scientist who previously dived the rare reef, said he is very concerned about the ecosystem. "The coral reef was giving them habitat and food. You take that away, you don't have the fish," Gilmore said. Mark Perry, Executive Director of the Florida Oceanographic Society, added that corals grow very slowly and have been there for a long time. "Corals are in trouble worldwide. We shouldn't be destroying anymore," Gilmore said.
Perry and Gilmore were two scientists who urged the public at the gathering to help save the reef. Perry said he was devastated by the council's decision. "Here's the same council that years ago, decades ago, approved protecting it, and that they now want to amend that protection and open it up to this destructive fishing effort," Perry said. The vote came despite tens of thousands of petition signatures opposing the move.
The proposal is now with NOAA, which will make the final decision. The agency is expected to release draft rules within the coming months, giving the public one more opportunity to weigh in before officials decide whether to move forward. Activists are urging residents to write letters to their congressman and those who might be able to influence the decisions. "All of our voices saying don't approve these amendments. We've got to protect these reefs," Perry said.