Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Seeks Lost Buoys After Hurricane

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Spar buoy – Tall, white spar buoys with orange markings stand for Wildlife Management Areas and sites on the Shipwreck Trail in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo Credit NOAA.
Marker buoy – Yellow marker buoys denote zones with special regulations in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo Credit NOAA.

Hurricane Irma’s churning seas damaged and displaced buoys that mark areas with specific regulations, assist with navigation, and provide information. Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary asks boaters to report damaged or missing line, missing buoys and found buoys to 305-852-7717 from Key Largo to Marathon and 305-809-4727 for Marathon through Key West and the Dry Tortugas.

Yellow, 30-inch diameter buoys mark zones such as Sanctuary Preservation Areas, Ecological Reserves and Special-use Research Only areas. Spar buoys are cylindrical, tall and white with orange markings for Wildlife Management Areas and sites on the Shipwreck Trail.

Mooring buoy – Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary provides nearly 500 mooring buoys to prevent boats from anchoring along the coral reef tract. Photo Credit NOAA

The nearly 500 mooring buoys in the sanctuary are 18 inches in diameter with a blue stripe. They provide an alternative to anchoring, which can break and damage the coral reef. Anchoring is prohibited on coral in waters less than 40 feet and when the bottom is visible.

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