Vessel/Boating Licensing and Education

Direct impacts from vessels present a threat to the protection and health of Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary resources. More than 300 vessel groundings (vessels 50 feet or less; FKNMS unpub. data) are reported annually within the sanctuary, causing physical damage to resources such as seagrass, hard-bottom, and coral reef habitats. In addition, there are a variety of direct impacts from smaller commercial and recreational vessels that may not result in actual groundings but still impact sanctuary resources. The Sanctuary Advisory Council heard a presentation on Coast Guard Auxiliary Boater Education on February 19, 2013 and discussed boater education at the August 20, 2013 meeting. No motion was developed, but the advisory council determined that the next steps would be as follows:

The Advisory Council will form a subcommittee to engage with Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission Boating Advisory Council to:

• Host a joint meeting / workshop, and
• Present Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary boating and boating education issues to the Boating Advisory Council.

For advisory council meeting archives visit: Current Year or Previous Year Archives.

Presentations on Boater Education

February 19, 2013: Coast Guard Auxiliary Boater Education (1,600 kb)

August 20, 2013: Boater Education (834 kb)

Note: Vessel/Boating Licensing and Education is also discussed in Section 2.5 on page 37-8 of the Sanctuary Advisory Council Regulatory and Zoning Alternatives Development Work-Plan Actions for Review and Recommendation (pdf, 4,464 kb).

For additional information, refer to our Enforcement page.