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THE MISSION

Photo by Jay Clue

Mission: Iconic Reefs launched late 2019 in collaboration with world-renowned scientists, local restoration partners, academia, industry, and federal and state agencies with a mission to restore seven, expert-selected reefs to self-sustaining levels by 2040.

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, which represents a broad range of sanctuary users and constituents and provides recommendations to NOAA on management priorities and actions, identified 37 reefs as high-priority.

Using biological and socioeconomic criteria such as biodiversity and habitat composition, geographic distribution and connectivity to other habitat types, allowable and compatible human uses, a group of coral reef scientists, restoration practitioners, and resource managers further refined the list of 37 sites to the seven with highest-priority.

The total restoration area equals approximately three million square feet- one of the largest restoration efforts globally and a critical intervention necessary to change the trajectory of an ecosystem essential to marine fish that spend a quarter or more of their lives there.

Carysfort Reef

Carysfort Reef is the northernmost Mission: Iconic Reefs site and inside the largest Sanctuary Preservation Area (SPA) in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. This beautiful snorkeling site once was home to large thickets of elkhorn and staghorn corals, both listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act. Carysfort Reef is important to M:IR because of its close proximity to the Florida Current and its connection with the wider Caribbean. This reef serves as a demonstration site for restoration efforts in the Florida Keys.

Horseshoe Reef

Horseshoe Reef is located off the coast of Key Largo and is historically known for some of the largest and healthiest colonies of elkhorn and staghorn corals. This reef features a cluster of small, isolated reefs called patch reefs laid out in a distinctive horseshoe shape. This site is used for research by scientists and is also a popular fishing, snorkeling, and diving location.

Cheeca Rocks

Cheeca Rocks is an inshore patch reef that is partially protected as a Sanctuary Preservation Area (SPA). Star and boulder corals dominate this reef habitat, providing an undersea laboratory for scientists to study the coralʼs resilience to the effects of climate change and disease. This shallow site is not far from shore, making it popular for snorkelers.

Sombrero Reef

Sombrero Reef is a spur-and-groove reef system, where ridges of the reef are separated by sandy channels. Home to one of the most extensive spur-and-groove reefs in the Middle Keys, snorkelers and divers often explore the site, and many boaters find an abundance of mooring balls to tie up and enjoy the view of the Sombrero Reef Lighthouse towering above the reef.

Protected as a Sanctuary Preservation Area.

Looe Key Reef

Looe Key Reef is found inside a Sanctuary Preservation Area featuring spur-and-groove reefs popular for snorkeling and diving. Restoration at Looe Key has been ongoing and the site is also home to an offshore coral nursery. Looe Key was one of the first areas protected as a stand-alone Sanctuary in the 1980s before the greater Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary was created.

Newfound Harbor

Newfound Harbor is a shallow patch reef located close to shore and protected as a Sanctuary Preservation Area. Because of its location, Newfound Harbor is often used for field experiments and for student educational opportunities. Work has already begun on this site to restore corals that have been damaged by boat strikes over time. Historically, boulder, star, and giant brain corals dominated this site.

Eastern Dry Rocks

Eastern Dry Rocks is located in the lower Keys and home to both spur-and-groove and deep reef habitats. Historically, this site featured large thickets of elk and staghorn coral, as well as massive star coral colonies. It remains a popular snorkeling and diving site with close proximity to other popular reef destinations.

Protected as a Sanctuary Preservation Area.

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