1 00:00:06,940 --> 00:00:09,243 >>NARRATOR: The Florida Keys-- 2 00:00:09,243 --> 00:00:14,414 a world famous fishing and diving destination. 3 00:00:14,414 --> 00:00:16,984 >>It's the third largest barrier reef in the world. 4 00:00:16,984 --> 00:00:19,553 It supports, basically, an annual econom 5 00:00:19,553 --> 00:00:21,221 of about $6 billion a year. 6 00:00:21,221 --> 00:00:23,724 But it also suffers from significant use 7 00:00:23,724 --> 00:00:25,959 from a regional population 8 00:00:25,959 --> 00:00:28,095 on the order of about seven million people 9 00:00:28,095 --> 00:00:31,031 in the three-county South Florida area. 10 00:00:31,031 --> 00:00:34,034 >>NARRATOR: As Florida's population has increased, 11 00:00:34,034 --> 00:00:37,471 the health of its coral reefs, which form the foundation 12 00:00:37,471 --> 00:00:39,973 for the state's large fishing industry, 13 00:00:39,973 --> 00:00:43,377 has drastically declined. 14 00:00:43,377 --> 00:00:46,780 With it, so have fish populations. 15 00:00:46,780 --> 00:00:48,982 >>Man loves to fish, catches too many fish. 16 00:00:48,982 --> 00:00:50,784 Therefore the numbers go down. 17 00:00:58,892 --> 00:01:00,227 >>NARRATOR: To better understand 18 00:01:00,227 --> 00:01:02,729 how fish populations are doing, 19 00:01:02,729 --> 00:01:06,166 a team of scientists dives regularl 20 00:01:06,166 --> 00:01:10,170 to conduct a census of the fish that live on the reef. 21 00:01:10,170 --> 00:01:12,372 >>The main reason that we're out here counting fish 22 00:01:12,372 --> 00:01:15,108 is really to try to get some better understanding 23 00:01:15,108 --> 00:01:18,178 of what's happening with these coral reef fish populations, 24 00:01:18,178 --> 00:01:21,915 and the best way to do that is to put divers in the water 25 00:01:21,915 --> 00:01:24,751 and actually have them go and count and size the stuff 26 00:01:24,751 --> 00:01:26,286 that they're seeing. 27 00:01:28,622 --> 00:01:30,490 >>NARRATOR: To collect this data 28 00:01:30,490 --> 00:01:33,193 in remote locations like the Dry Tortugas, 29 00:01:33,193 --> 00:01:36,196 scientists use a highly efficient 30 00:01:36,196 --> 00:01:38,498 and streamlined process. 31 00:01:38,498 --> 00:01:41,401 >>Go, divers, go! 32 00:01:41,401 --> 00:01:43,837 >>It's kind of like a paramilitary assault 33 00:01:43,837 --> 00:01:45,105 on marine resources 34 00:01:45,105 --> 00:01:47,007 because we're doing on the order of, you know, 35 00:01:47,007 --> 00:01:48,241 100 scientific dives a day, 36 00:01:48,241 --> 00:01:50,477 so the process of having a custom ship 37 00:01:50,477 --> 00:01:53,447 with a very skilled captain and crew with highly trained divers 38 00:01:53,447 --> 00:01:56,550 gives us great flexibility and latitude 39 00:01:56,550 --> 00:02:00,988 to sample large areas accurately and provide information, really, 40 00:02:00,988 --> 00:02:03,924 that nobody has been able to capture before. 41 00:02:03,924 --> 00:02:07,027 >>NARRATOR: What will the divers find? 42 00:02:07,027 --> 00:02:11,732 Are fish populations recovering in South Florida? 43 00:02:13,900 --> 00:02:16,670 ♪♪ 44 00:02:37,491 --> 00:02:39,726 >>Major funding for this program 45 00:02:39,726 --> 00:02:41,895 was provided by the Batchelor Foundation, 46 00:02:41,895 --> 00:02:44,731 encouraging people to preserve and protect 47 00:02:44,731 --> 00:02:47,000 America's underwater resources. 48 00:02:56,343 --> 00:02:58,378 >>NARRATOR: Dry Tortugas National Park 49 00:02:58,378 --> 00:03:01,214 is one of the lesser-known jewels 50 00:03:01,214 --> 00:03:03,250 in the national park system. 51 00:03:03,250 --> 00:03:07,554 It is famous for its 19th-century Fort Jefferson, 52 00:03:07,554 --> 00:03:10,791 a remote Union outpost located on an island 53 00:03:10,791 --> 00:03:13,427 70 miles west of Key West. 54 00:03:15,629 --> 00:03:20,000 Most visitors come to the park on a day trip to see the fort, 55 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:24,037 the thousands of birds that nest on a nearby island each spring, 56 00:03:24,037 --> 00:03:28,909 and to snorkel around the fort's moat walls. 57 00:03:28,909 --> 00:03:31,178 But only a few visitors get to see 58 00:03:31,178 --> 00:03:34,581 what makes up the vast majority of the park. 59 00:03:34,581 --> 00:03:38,485 >>97% or more of this park is actually underwater. 60 00:03:38,485 --> 00:03:41,555 That's what we're out here to study. 61 00:03:41,555 --> 00:03:44,357 >>NARRATOR: The park's roughly 100 square miles 62 00:03:44,357 --> 00:03:46,827 of magnificent underwater resources 63 00:03:46,827 --> 00:03:52,099 make up the westernmost part of Florida's reef chain. 64 00:03:52,099 --> 00:03:53,800 >>The living reef starts about Key Biscayne, 65 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:55,902 which is about 30 miles north of Key Largo, 66 00:03:55,902 --> 00:03:58,371 and then runs at least to the Dry Tortugas, 67 00:03:58,371 --> 00:04:01,241 so about 270 kilometers southwest 68 00:04:01,241 --> 00:04:04,077 on the southwest Florida shelf. 69 00:04:04,077 --> 00:04:05,479 >>NARRATOR: The health of the reefs 70 00:04:05,479 --> 00:04:07,247 and the fish that live there 71 00:04:07,247 --> 00:04:10,517 has drastically declined over the last half century. 72 00:04:10,517 --> 00:04:13,420 With more and more people arriving in South Florida, 73 00:04:13,420 --> 00:04:17,057 fishing pressures increase dramatically. 74 00:04:17,057 --> 00:04:21,862 In the early years, no data was collected on the fisheries. 75 00:04:21,862 --> 00:04:25,298 It wasn't until the late 1970s 76 00:04:25,298 --> 00:04:30,670 that scientists began to analyze how fish populations were doing. 77 00:04:30,670 --> 00:04:33,473 Now, each year, 78 00:04:33,473 --> 00:04:36,843 researchers from various organizations and agencies 79 00:04:36,843 --> 00:04:40,981 "dive in" to count the fish on the reefs. 80 00:04:40,981 --> 00:04:42,949 >>What we're hoping, more than anything, 81 00:04:42,949 --> 00:04:44,851 is that this research will give us some understanding 82 00:04:44,851 --> 00:04:46,653 about how these resources are doing. 83 00:04:46,653 --> 00:04:49,289 When I say resources, in this case, I'm talking primaril 84 00:04:49,289 --> 00:04:50,957 about coral reef fish communities, 85 00:04:50,957 --> 00:04:53,927 particularly with an emphasis on the exploited species 86 00:04:53,927 --> 00:04:57,397 like snappers and groupers. 87 00:04:57,397 --> 00:04:59,900 >>NARRATOR: To cover as large of an area as possible 88 00:04:59,900 --> 00:05:02,202 in Dry Tortugas National Park, 89 00:05:02,202 --> 00:05:05,172 the highly skilled science divers 90 00:05:05,172 --> 00:05:09,509 have developed a unique method to collect their data. 91 00:05:09,509 --> 00:05:11,878 They spend one to two weeks at sea 92 00:05:11,878 --> 00:05:16,817 on a chartered live-aboard, making multiple dives each day. 93 00:05:16,817 --> 00:05:18,218 >>A regular sport diving charter, 94 00:05:18,218 --> 00:05:19,853 we typically tie to buoys. 95 00:05:19,853 --> 00:05:24,958 We're moored, so the dive times are very regimented. 96 00:05:24,958 --> 00:05:28,094 With a group of divers like this, we dive all day long. 97 00:05:28,094 --> 00:05:30,997 We dive with five teams of divers 98 00:05:30,997 --> 00:05:33,400 rather than all the divers getting off the boat at one time 99 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:35,101 and then getting back on the boat at one time. 100 00:05:35,101 --> 00:05:36,636 And we do that for a couple of different reasons: 101 00:05:36,636 --> 00:05:40,807 one is to get more dive sites in during the day, 102 00:05:40,807 --> 00:05:42,976 and the other one is that 103 00:05:42,976 --> 00:05:46,279 the divers can each see something different 104 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:48,882 and they get more ability to count fish 105 00:05:48,882 --> 00:05:50,817 in different locations. 106 00:05:50,817 --> 00:05:55,422 >>NARRATOR: Captain Frank uses a commercial charting program 107 00:05:55,422 --> 00:05:59,092 to find the predetermined dive sites. 108 00:05:59,092 --> 00:06:05,632 >>The scientists can give me a list of where they want to go, 109 00:06:05,632 --> 00:06:07,234 and they give that to me electronically, 110 00:06:07,234 --> 00:06:09,669 we insert it into the computer, 111 00:06:09,669 --> 00:06:11,671 it pops up what's called a "wait-point" on the screen, 112 00:06:11,671 --> 00:06:14,207 and then I can move the boat to the wait-point. 113 00:06:14,207 --> 00:06:16,676 I use the depth-sounder to search around 114 00:06:16,676 --> 00:06:19,312 for something interesting near the wait-point-- 115 00:06:19,312 --> 00:06:23,283 be it a ledge, coral reef, a pinnacle, something like that. 116 00:06:23,283 --> 00:06:25,886 We don't want to just drop them in sand; 117 00:06:25,886 --> 00:06:28,521 sand isn't where we're going to find our fish. 118 00:06:35,195 --> 00:06:37,063 Team five against the wall, 119 00:06:37,063 --> 00:06:39,566 team five, divers on the wall, please. 120 00:06:39,566 --> 00:06:41,001 >>It kind of works like a factory. 121 00:06:41,001 --> 00:06:42,569 Basically, we have five teams. 122 00:06:42,569 --> 00:06:46,006 Each team consists of four divers, 123 00:06:46,006 --> 00:06:48,575 so two buddy pairs. 124 00:06:48,575 --> 00:06:51,211 Captain Frank takes the boat to the G.P.S. point. 125 00:06:51,211 --> 00:06:52,412 >>Divers ready? 126 00:06:52,412 --> 00:06:53,513 >>Yes. 127 00:06:53,513 --> 00:06:54,981 >>Roger that. 128 00:06:54,981 --> 00:06:57,284 We have a pinnacle in 60 feet of water to the bottom, 129 00:06:57,284 --> 00:06:59,019 40 feet of water to the top. 130 00:06:59,019 --> 00:07:02,822 Go, divers, go. 131 00:07:06,393 --> 00:07:09,229 >>Each buddy pair has a dive flag, 132 00:07:09,229 --> 00:07:11,798 and they descend to their site 133 00:07:11,798 --> 00:07:13,633 and they tie off the flag. 134 00:07:13,633 --> 00:07:15,201 >>And then they swim about 50 feet apart 135 00:07:15,201 --> 00:07:16,536 and each of them imagines a circle 136 00:07:16,536 --> 00:07:18,605 with a radius of about 25 feet. 137 00:07:18,605 --> 00:07:21,074 So ideally, those circles will be touching 138 00:07:21,074 --> 00:07:22,542 just at the very edge, 139 00:07:22,542 --> 00:07:24,210 so they can still see each other. 140 00:07:24,210 --> 00:07:26,880 So if someone runs into problems or something happens, 141 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:28,615 the other diver can offer some assistance, 142 00:07:28,615 --> 00:07:30,750 but they're far enough away that the circles do not overlap, 143 00:07:30,750 --> 00:07:32,953 so each sample then is independent. 144 00:07:32,953 --> 00:07:35,021 >>So then once the divers are situated 145 00:07:35,021 --> 00:07:36,790 and they've figured out what their cylinders are, 146 00:07:36,790 --> 00:07:38,558 they start counting fish. 147 00:07:42,062 --> 00:07:43,630 It takes an experienced diver-- 148 00:07:43,630 --> 00:07:46,066 it takes a diver who can identify fish-- 149 00:07:46,066 --> 00:07:48,735 and then what we do is we have this extensive training program 150 00:07:48,735 --> 00:07:50,203 that each fish diver goes through 151 00:07:50,203 --> 00:07:54,407 to standardize how they estimate the sizes of fish 152 00:07:54,407 --> 00:07:58,445 and whether or not they're able to count the numbers of fish. 153 00:07:58,445 --> 00:08:00,280 That sounds easy, like one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. 154 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:01,481 Not so much, actually. 155 00:08:01,481 --> 00:08:04,084 Occasionally, you have huge schools go through, 156 00:08:04,084 --> 00:08:07,787 hundreds of fish, and how many fish is that? 157 00:08:07,787 --> 00:08:10,757 You can't count each one, so you have to have a good eye 158 00:08:10,757 --> 00:08:12,625 of how to estimate abundances of fish. 159 00:08:16,930 --> 00:08:20,100 >>We try to start with the most commercially important species, 160 00:08:20,100 --> 00:08:22,402 things like the big snappers and the big groupers. 161 00:08:22,402 --> 00:08:23,970 When we see them, we count them immediatel 162 00:08:23,970 --> 00:08:25,672 and we estimate their sizes immediatel 163 00:08:25,672 --> 00:08:27,374 because in many cases, 164 00:08:27,374 --> 00:08:29,075 they tend to be a little skittish towards divers 165 00:08:29,075 --> 00:08:32,178 and are more likely to swim off quickly, 166 00:08:32,178 --> 00:08:34,881 and so we want to capture those as immediately as we can 167 00:08:34,881 --> 00:08:36,950 and then go through the rest of the species 168 00:08:36,950 --> 00:08:38,952 that we see in the area, 169 00:08:38,952 --> 00:08:41,021 usually starting with the bigger things that are left, 170 00:08:41,021 --> 00:08:42,589 moving down to the smaller species 171 00:08:42,589 --> 00:08:45,425 because the smaller species are much less likely to swim away. 172 00:08:45,425 --> 00:08:47,527 Each diver takes down a measuring stick, 173 00:08:47,527 --> 00:08:49,129 which is called an all-purpose tool. 174 00:08:49,129 --> 00:08:53,233 It's sort of like a "T-stick" that's about a meter long, 175 00:08:53,233 --> 00:08:55,702 marked with ten centimeter increments up the meter stick. 176 00:08:55,702 --> 00:08:58,505 And then the "T" part is about 30 centimeters across 177 00:08:58,505 --> 00:09:02,275 with a ruler that actually has centimeters on it so we can see. 178 00:09:02,275 --> 00:09:04,344 What we use that stick for is to help us estimate the sizes 179 00:09:04,344 --> 00:09:06,046 of these individual fish 180 00:09:06,046 --> 00:09:08,481 because size structure is very, very important. 181 00:09:08,481 --> 00:09:11,251 Large fish tend to be much older, 182 00:09:11,251 --> 00:09:12,986 and the number of babies that they make 183 00:09:12,986 --> 00:09:15,088 is much, much larger than smaller fish. 184 00:09:15,088 --> 00:09:17,791 So knowing that there are four fish is important, 185 00:09:17,791 --> 00:09:20,293 but knowing that there are four big fish is much different 186 00:09:20,293 --> 00:09:23,096 than knowing that there are four small fish. 187 00:09:23,096 --> 00:09:24,931 >>Also, when divers go in the water, 188 00:09:24,931 --> 00:09:27,300 they're not just collecting information about the fish, 189 00:09:27,300 --> 00:09:30,303 because the fish aren't acting alone; 190 00:09:30,303 --> 00:09:33,073 they're responding to their environment. 191 00:09:33,073 --> 00:09:34,908 We're also collecting data about the habitat 192 00:09:34,908 --> 00:09:37,210 and the water qualit 193 00:09:37,210 --> 00:09:40,180 and we're looking at that data in relationship to any trends 194 00:09:40,180 --> 00:09:42,082 that we see in the fish populations 195 00:09:42,082 --> 00:09:43,383 to see whether or not 196 00:09:43,383 --> 00:09:45,618 it's actually something happening to the habitat 197 00:09:45,618 --> 00:09:49,189 that's changing the distribution of fishes that we see. 198 00:09:49,189 --> 00:09:50,890 >>It's important because the coral reefs are actuall 199 00:09:50,890 --> 00:09:53,126 the structures that allow the nurturing and raising 200 00:09:53,126 --> 00:09:54,828 of juvenile fishes 201 00:09:54,828 --> 00:09:57,330 and allowing the larger fishes to, say, hide from predators. 202 00:09:57,330 --> 00:09:59,365 You probably have heard of the integral web of life; 203 00:09:59,365 --> 00:10:01,101 each thing has its place. 204 00:10:01,101 --> 00:10:03,203 >>NARRATOR: Once the divers are done counting, 205 00:10:03,203 --> 00:10:05,772 it's time to head back to the surface. 206 00:10:05,772 --> 00:10:08,274 >>They meet at the center where their flag is. 207 00:10:08,274 --> 00:10:10,577 There is a G.P.S. attached to the buoy itself 208 00:10:10,577 --> 00:10:13,179 at the surface, so we have the exact location 209 00:10:13,179 --> 00:10:15,048 of where those two counts occurred. 210 00:10:15,048 --> 00:10:16,382 And after that, they all come up together. 211 00:10:16,382 --> 00:10:17,617 >>Roger, divers on the surface. 212 00:10:17,617 --> 00:10:18,852 We'll go pick them up. 213 00:10:21,654 --> 00:10:24,057 >>And then the boat pulls around... 214 00:10:26,259 --> 00:10:28,128 >>Recover divers. 215 00:10:33,766 --> 00:10:35,768 >>...picks them up, they get on board 216 00:10:35,768 --> 00:10:38,838 and do it all over again, five or six times a day. 217 00:10:47,981 --> 00:10:54,754 >>26 feet, 20 minutes, 2,400 pounds. 218 00:10:54,754 --> 00:10:56,256 >>So it's kind of a cool process-- 219 00:10:56,256 --> 00:10:58,024 we're just constantly dumping divers, 220 00:10:58,024 --> 00:10:59,893 picking them up, 221 00:10:59,893 --> 00:11:02,362 and within the course of a day, we'll hit 25 sites, 222 00:11:02,362 --> 00:11:05,064 and that's 25 sites times four divers, 223 00:11:05,064 --> 00:11:07,467 so that's a whole lot of dives 224 00:11:07,467 --> 00:11:09,736 and a whole lot of hours underwater that we get 225 00:11:09,736 --> 00:11:11,804 by doing this kind of cruise. 226 00:11:14,641 --> 00:11:16,843 >>NARRATOR: When a team is back on the boat, 227 00:11:16,843 --> 00:11:20,780 they enter the data recorded on the dives. 228 00:11:20,780 --> 00:11:22,815 >>The less glamorous side of marine biology involves 229 00:11:22,815 --> 00:11:24,751 entering and managing all of this data. 230 00:11:24,751 --> 00:11:28,588 After we get out of the water, people need to come in, 231 00:11:28,588 --> 00:11:31,291 sit in front of their computers and enter their data, 232 00:11:31,291 --> 00:11:33,326 double-check it to make sure they've done it correctly. 233 00:11:33,326 --> 00:11:35,061 At the end of the trip, it'll go back to each individual agency, 234 00:11:35,061 --> 00:11:37,063 they'll double-check it again 235 00:11:37,063 --> 00:11:38,932 to make sure that the data's been entered correctly, 236 00:11:38,932 --> 00:11:41,100 and then it gets all collected and put in a central database 237 00:11:41,100 --> 00:11:43,670 where all the agencies have access to it. 238 00:11:43,670 --> 00:11:46,139 >>NARRATOR: Scientists from four different agencies 239 00:11:46,139 --> 00:11:49,075 and institutions are along on this particular trip 240 00:11:49,075 --> 00:11:50,743 to collect data. 241 00:11:50,743 --> 00:11:53,413 They work for the National Park Service, 242 00:11:53,413 --> 00:11:56,416 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 243 00:11:56,416 --> 00:11:59,852 the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 244 00:11:59,852 --> 00:12:01,854 and the University of Miami 245 00:12:01,854 --> 00:12:06,492 Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. 246 00:12:06,492 --> 00:12:07,961 >>One of the things that I first noticed 247 00:12:07,961 --> 00:12:11,231 about this particular group of divers 248 00:12:11,231 --> 00:12:13,833 is the cooperation level between different agencies, 249 00:12:13,833 --> 00:12:17,270 both federal and state, is very high. 250 00:12:17,270 --> 00:12:18,538 In other places that I've been-- 251 00:12:18,538 --> 00:12:20,206 in other states that we've worked in, 252 00:12:20,206 --> 00:12:21,774 particularly along the Gulf Coast-- 253 00:12:21,774 --> 00:12:26,412 it's very difficult to get all those agencies working together 254 00:12:26,412 --> 00:12:28,514 to make a mission like this gel 255 00:12:28,514 --> 00:12:30,316 like this particular mission does. 256 00:12:30,316 --> 00:12:32,819 >>NARRATOR: For many years, 257 00:12:32,819 --> 00:12:36,022 the various groups were counting fish independently, 258 00:12:36,022 --> 00:12:39,025 often duplicating their efforts. 259 00:12:39,025 --> 00:12:42,128 >>So we got together and did a big meeting, 260 00:12:42,128 --> 00:12:44,097 compared kind of the data that we accumulated 261 00:12:44,097 --> 00:12:48,601 through the years and decided that it would be more efficient 262 00:12:48,601 --> 00:12:51,638 to actually gather our forces and our crews 263 00:12:51,638 --> 00:12:54,107 and survey all together. 264 00:12:54,107 --> 00:12:55,642 >>NARRATOR: To streamline the process 265 00:12:55,642 --> 00:12:57,610 and make the surveys more efficient, 266 00:12:57,610 --> 00:13:02,682 a formal protocol was devised as a guideline. 267 00:13:02,682 --> 00:13:04,951 >>Actually creating the protocol document allowed us 268 00:13:04,951 --> 00:13:07,754 to really critically evaluate every single step 269 00:13:07,754 --> 00:13:10,223 of the actual method, from the training, 270 00:13:10,223 --> 00:13:12,091 from the statistical design, 271 00:13:12,091 --> 00:13:15,461 from the actual in-water taking of the data 272 00:13:15,461 --> 00:13:18,698 all the way to the proofing and data analysis. 273 00:13:18,698 --> 00:13:21,834 We want to be able to present a united front 274 00:13:21,834 --> 00:13:26,306 and have all the agencies agree on what actually the trends are. 275 00:13:26,306 --> 00:13:27,974 >>There's a beauty in that process, too. 276 00:13:27,974 --> 00:13:30,777 One is that we're now not doing different kinds of things 277 00:13:30,777 --> 00:13:32,879 and reporting different information; 278 00:13:32,879 --> 00:13:34,447 we're on the same page. 279 00:13:34,447 --> 00:13:36,316 Secondly, by adding this incremental effort 280 00:13:36,316 --> 00:13:39,285 in a team process, we're getting a more precise estimate 281 00:13:39,285 --> 00:13:41,254 over a broader range of areas. 282 00:13:41,254 --> 00:13:43,823 >>We've been able to cover much more territor 283 00:13:43,823 --> 00:13:45,258 in a much more efficient manner 284 00:13:45,258 --> 00:13:47,226 so that we're getting the best snapshot 285 00:13:47,226 --> 00:13:49,729 of what is happening on the reef over time. 286 00:13:49,729 --> 00:13:51,898 >>I'm really excited about this because it's turning out to be 287 00:13:51,898 --> 00:13:55,034 kind of the hallmark, if you will, 288 00:13:55,034 --> 00:13:57,403 of a way that a cooperative program can produce information 289 00:13:57,403 --> 00:14:01,507 that's relevant to scientific decision-making, 290 00:14:01,507 --> 00:14:03,109 but also stands as a model, 291 00:14:03,109 --> 00:14:05,078 not only in Florida, but Puerto Rico, 292 00:14:05,078 --> 00:14:07,747 the Papahânaumokuâkea National Marine Monument-- 293 00:14:07,747 --> 00:14:09,849 that coral reef reserve 294 00:14:09,849 --> 00:14:11,884 in the northwestern Hawaiian islands 295 00:14:11,884 --> 00:14:13,186 and throughout the Pacific, 296 00:14:13,186 --> 00:14:15,722 so it's very exciting and making a difference. 297 00:14:18,257 --> 00:14:20,126 >>All righty, guys, you guys ready? 298 00:14:20,126 --> 00:14:21,794 Hello? 299 00:14:21,794 --> 00:14:22,962 >>Yes! 300 00:14:22,962 --> 00:14:24,964 >>Team 4 ready? 301 00:14:24,964 --> 00:14:26,432 >>Yes! 302 00:14:26,432 --> 00:14:29,569 >>Roger that, Team 4 is ready, 303 00:14:29,569 --> 00:14:31,637 diving a site called "Jerry's Kids." 304 00:14:31,637 --> 00:14:35,675 "Jerry's Kids" first discovered in 2002 by the spree. 305 00:14:35,675 --> 00:14:39,011 >>NARRATOR: So how do the scientists know where to dive 306 00:14:39,011 --> 00:14:41,447 to count the fish? 307 00:14:41,447 --> 00:14:43,616 >>We have a kind of collage habitat map 308 00:14:43,616 --> 00:14:46,085 for the whole Dry Tortugas National Park. 309 00:14:46,085 --> 00:14:50,590 It's broken up into little grid-cells, 200 by 200 meters. 310 00:14:50,590 --> 00:14:53,993 Each cell is classified as to a type of habitat; 311 00:14:53,993 --> 00:14:57,597 a lot of it is not reef, so that's just not sampled at all. 312 00:14:57,597 --> 00:14:59,899 So if it's sand or sea grass or something like that, 313 00:14:59,899 --> 00:15:01,334 we don't bother with it. 314 00:15:01,334 --> 00:15:03,636 >>NARRATOR: For this particular study, 315 00:15:03,636 --> 00:15:07,940 scientists are only interested in sampling coral reef habitats 316 00:15:07,940 --> 00:15:11,844 because this is where most of the fish can be found. 317 00:15:11,844 --> 00:15:15,448 >>The strategy is to try to place samples strategicall 318 00:15:15,448 --> 00:15:17,049 in high-density areas-- 319 00:15:17,049 --> 00:15:19,786 much like if I were to go sample the U.S. population, 320 00:15:19,786 --> 00:15:21,454 I wouldn't spend a lot of time in the Mojave Desert, 321 00:15:21,454 --> 00:15:22,789 because there aren't that many people. 322 00:15:22,789 --> 00:15:24,023 But I'd identify places like cities-- 323 00:15:24,023 --> 00:15:26,993 New York, Chicago, Miami, Baltimore, et cetera-- 324 00:15:26,993 --> 00:15:28,528 where those would be 325 00:15:28,528 --> 00:15:30,296 because those are places I need to get more information from. 326 00:15:30,296 --> 00:15:32,398 >>NARRATOR: Scientists have categorized, 327 00:15:32,398 --> 00:15:34,667 or "stratified," the reef 328 00:15:34,667 --> 00:15:38,871 into eight different types of habitats they want to study. 329 00:15:38,871 --> 00:15:42,875 >>There's very complex spur- and-groove fore-reef habitats, 330 00:15:42,875 --> 00:15:45,344 and then there's little patch reefs that occur. 331 00:15:45,344 --> 00:15:47,513 >>NARRATOR: Since it would be impossible to surve 332 00:15:47,513 --> 00:15:51,117 every single location within these vast reef habitats, 333 00:15:51,117 --> 00:15:53,886 a computer chooses random G.P.S. points 334 00:15:53,886 --> 00:15:56,422 where the scientists will dive. 335 00:15:56,422 --> 00:15:59,459 >>We run a random number generator routine to pick. 336 00:15:59,459 --> 00:16:01,928 So say, for instance, I have a habitat 337 00:16:01,928 --> 00:16:05,798 with 50 sites in it total, and I want ten of them: 338 00:16:05,798 --> 00:16:08,568 from numbers one through 50, it'll pick ten numbers. 339 00:16:08,568 --> 00:16:12,505 So then those get tagged onto that grid cell, 340 00:16:12,505 --> 00:16:15,374 then we create the sampling map. 341 00:16:15,374 --> 00:16:17,276 So the idea by doing that is 342 00:16:17,276 --> 00:16:20,313 we're getting a fairly good estimate of fish abundance 343 00:16:20,313 --> 00:16:22,615 in each habitat throughout the entire region. 344 00:16:22,615 --> 00:16:24,617 >>So we get an unbiased estimate of what's going on, 345 00:16:24,617 --> 00:16:27,587 which is extremely important for scientific credibility. 346 00:16:27,587 --> 00:16:30,356 >>NARRATOR: This approach to fisheries management 347 00:16:30,356 --> 00:16:35,161 is called "fishery-independent sampling" 348 00:16:35,161 --> 00:16:37,330 because scientists evaluate living fish populations 349 00:16:37,330 --> 00:16:40,500 instead of counting the fishermen's catch. 350 00:16:40,500 --> 00:16:43,503 >>Rather than going and counting fish on the dock, 351 00:16:43,503 --> 00:16:45,471 what we're doing is going in the water 352 00:16:45,471 --> 00:16:48,174 and counting what's left after the take. 353 00:16:48,174 --> 00:16:50,510 Historically, the focus was more on yield, 354 00:16:50,510 --> 00:16:52,178 meaning removal from the fisheries, 355 00:16:52,178 --> 00:16:53,412 as much as thinking forward about, 356 00:16:53,412 --> 00:16:55,548 "how do we sustain the resources?" 357 00:16:55,548 --> 00:16:58,217 So more contemporaneous fishery management 358 00:16:58,217 --> 00:17:00,620 has thought critically about what we're leaving in the water 359 00:17:00,620 --> 00:17:02,922 rather than what we're taking out. 360 00:17:02,922 --> 00:17:05,124 We began to realize in most of the important fisheries 361 00:17:05,124 --> 00:17:06,726 that there were massive reproductive declines-- 362 00:17:06,726 --> 00:17:08,361 stocks were collapsing when, in fact, 363 00:17:08,361 --> 00:17:10,329 we thought they should sustain themselves. 364 00:17:15,368 --> 00:17:18,504 >>NARRATOR: Worldwide fisheries have declined drastically, 365 00:17:18,504 --> 00:17:20,540 with some estimates predicting 366 00:17:20,540 --> 00:17:23,109 that if business continues as usual, 367 00:17:23,109 --> 00:17:28,481 most major fish stocks will be depleted by 2048. 368 00:17:28,481 --> 00:17:32,518 Florida, too, has seen the numbers of its fish decline 369 00:17:32,518 --> 00:17:34,620 over the years. 370 00:17:34,620 --> 00:17:37,490 >>To some extent, it's death by a thousand cuts. 371 00:17:37,490 --> 00:17:40,493 The fishery has been very long-term. 372 00:17:40,493 --> 00:17:42,295 You know, they have been catching reef fishes, 373 00:17:42,295 --> 00:17:45,097 technically, from the reef since Flagler's railroad, 374 00:17:45,097 --> 00:17:48,367 which basically reached Key West in, I think, 1912. 375 00:17:48,367 --> 00:17:51,804 It intensified significantly in the pre-war years, 376 00:17:51,804 --> 00:17:53,806 1930 up through 1940. 377 00:17:53,806 --> 00:17:56,208 After 1950, it was, "Katie, bar the door!" 378 00:17:56,208 --> 00:17:58,844 Along with air conditioning and access to South Florida, 379 00:17:58,844 --> 00:18:01,514 reef fishing was a very popular destination 380 00:18:01,514 --> 00:18:03,249 for a lot of folks. 381 00:18:03,249 --> 00:18:06,385 And so the take, if you will, has been significant. 382 00:18:06,385 --> 00:18:08,721 >>NARRATOR: Florida's population has increased 383 00:18:08,721 --> 00:18:11,724 exponentially since World War II. 384 00:18:11,724 --> 00:18:14,393 >>We're about 20 million people in the state now. 385 00:18:14,393 --> 00:18:17,463 By 2020, we're talking about 40 million people. 386 00:18:17,463 --> 00:18:19,865 >>NARRATOR: And it's not just the commercial fishing industr 387 00:18:19,865 --> 00:18:22,802 that's putting pressure on marine stocks. 388 00:18:22,802 --> 00:18:26,272 In 2001, Floridians owned roughly a million 389 00:18:26,272 --> 00:18:31,377 registered recreational boats, most of which are outfitted 390 00:18:31,377 --> 00:18:35,348 with the latest technology to find fish. 391 00:18:35,348 --> 00:18:37,450 >>I grew up in Miami and grew up fishing with my famil 392 00:18:37,450 --> 00:18:39,118 since I was about five years old, 393 00:18:39,118 --> 00:18:41,020 and we used to go out on charter boats 394 00:18:41,020 --> 00:18:42,955 and would come back with an incredible catch-- 395 00:18:42,955 --> 00:18:44,924 very diverse, very large fish, 396 00:18:44,924 --> 00:18:47,293 a couple of groupers, a couple of snappers. 397 00:18:47,293 --> 00:18:49,629 Our freezer was always stocked. 398 00:18:49,629 --> 00:18:53,132 And over time, personally, as I look back on those photos, 399 00:18:53,132 --> 00:18:55,468 same charter boat, same location, 400 00:18:55,468 --> 00:18:59,872 the fish tended to get smaller and much less diverse. 401 00:18:59,872 --> 00:19:01,407 So personally, within my lifetime, 402 00:19:01,407 --> 00:19:04,243 I've definitely seen the impact of fishing pressure 403 00:19:04,243 --> 00:19:06,412 on the resources here on the keys. 404 00:19:06,412 --> 00:19:08,147 >>The closer you are to population areas-- 405 00:19:08,147 --> 00:19:10,583 of course, like Miami and the keys-- 406 00:19:10,583 --> 00:19:14,420 the declines have been more drastic than, say, here 407 00:19:14,420 --> 00:19:17,223 because this is a remote area, 408 00:19:17,223 --> 00:19:20,159 but across the board, it's declined. 409 00:19:20,159 --> 00:19:23,095 >>NARRATOR: And over-fishing hasn't been the only cause 410 00:19:23,095 --> 00:19:27,133 for the decline in fish populations. 411 00:19:27,133 --> 00:19:29,969 Pollution, coastal development and a number of other factors 412 00:19:29,969 --> 00:19:35,608 all have had a negative impact on Florida's reefs. 413 00:19:35,608 --> 00:19:41,414 In the 1990s, scientists made a disturbing discovery. 414 00:19:41,414 --> 00:19:43,616 >>70% of the snapper-grouper complex 415 00:19:43,616 --> 00:19:45,718 in the Florida coral reef ecosystem, 416 00:19:45,718 --> 00:19:48,187 population levels were below the size considered sustainable 417 00:19:48,187 --> 00:19:50,623 by state and federal mandate. 418 00:19:50,623 --> 00:19:54,126 And that sent a real shockwave through the system. 419 00:19:54,126 --> 00:19:56,228 That conclusion led to reall 420 00:19:56,228 --> 00:19:58,664 a series of strong management actions 421 00:19:58,664 --> 00:20:01,901 that were required by law to try to repair the system, 422 00:20:01,901 --> 00:20:03,736 if you will. 423 00:20:03,736 --> 00:20:06,739 They involved, of course-- which were habitual over time-- 424 00:20:06,739 --> 00:20:11,177 but size limits and bag limits, typical fishery controls. 425 00:20:11,177 --> 00:20:13,913 >>NARRATOR: The decline in numbers also contributed 426 00:20:13,913 --> 00:20:17,016 to the creation of "marine protected areas" 427 00:20:17,016 --> 00:20:19,585 along the Florida reef chain. 428 00:20:19,585 --> 00:20:23,089 >>Marine protected areas give our resources a chance to rest; 429 00:20:23,089 --> 00:20:25,024 I think that's the best way to describe it. 430 00:20:25,024 --> 00:20:26,992 They're free from fishing pressure, 431 00:20:26,992 --> 00:20:29,428 free from environmental pressure. 432 00:20:29,428 --> 00:20:34,166 It allows things to grow without these everyday assaults on them. 433 00:20:34,166 --> 00:20:38,037 So I think given time, just about everything can recover. 434 00:20:38,037 --> 00:20:40,139 And that's what I think our coral reefs really need, 435 00:20:40,139 --> 00:20:41,974 is time to recover, 436 00:20:41,974 --> 00:20:43,976 and a little bit of care from us on the land side 437 00:20:43,976 --> 00:20:46,579 to try and ensure that that can happen. 438 00:20:46,579 --> 00:20:48,214 >>It's like a bank, you know? 439 00:20:48,214 --> 00:20:50,382 You're banking your fish, I guess. 440 00:20:50,382 --> 00:20:54,220 It takes time. 441 00:20:54,220 --> 00:20:57,289 >>NARRATOR: Today, there are several marine protected areas 442 00:20:57,289 --> 00:21:00,860 inside and around Dry Tortugas National Park. 443 00:21:00,860 --> 00:21:03,362 One of the major goals of the fish counts 444 00:21:03,362 --> 00:21:07,500 is to compare the size and abundance of fish populations 445 00:21:07,500 --> 00:21:12,338 inside and outside of those areas over time. 446 00:21:12,338 --> 00:21:13,572 >>We would expect to see-- 447 00:21:13,572 --> 00:21:15,574 in places where you close an area to fishing-- 448 00:21:15,574 --> 00:21:20,045 we'd expect to see higher numbers and larger individuals, 449 00:21:20,045 --> 00:21:22,414 particularly of the exploited species. 450 00:21:22,414 --> 00:21:24,416 In this case, it would be things like the snappers and groupers. 451 00:21:24,416 --> 00:21:26,452 There's also evidence from other places that suggests 452 00:21:26,452 --> 00:21:29,822 that even diversity can increase in these areas as well. 453 00:21:29,822 --> 00:21:32,758 >>NARRATOR: While most of the marine protected areas 454 00:21:32,758 --> 00:21:36,061 in the Dry Tortugas region are still relatively new, 455 00:21:36,061 --> 00:21:39,632 one area that was established in 2001 456 00:21:39,632 --> 00:21:43,402 has already shown positive signs of recovery. 457 00:21:43,402 --> 00:21:45,171 >>We would have expected a recover 458 00:21:45,171 --> 00:21:47,439 with release of fishing mortality, 459 00:21:47,439 --> 00:21:49,408 but technically, what we were expecting 460 00:21:49,408 --> 00:21:52,711 would take about a decade to get the response we expected. 461 00:21:52,711 --> 00:21:56,182 Surprisingly, in 2004, we saw a recover 462 00:21:56,182 --> 00:21:59,919 of a number of the important exploited reef fishes: 463 00:21:59,919 --> 00:22:02,321 snappers, groupers, black grouper, red grouper, 464 00:22:02,321 --> 00:22:05,357 mutton snapper, yellowtail snapper, et cetera. 465 00:22:05,357 --> 00:22:07,760 Abundance was going up, but also, 466 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:09,695 we were getting a higher number of mature fishes, 467 00:22:09,695 --> 00:22:11,697 which is the sure signal for the future 468 00:22:11,697 --> 00:22:13,699 to say that we're getting, if you will, 469 00:22:13,699 --> 00:22:15,801 that recharge of the system 470 00:22:15,801 --> 00:22:19,738 that in essence is ensuring long-term sustainability. 471 00:22:19,738 --> 00:22:23,108 >>NARRATOR: Protecting marine habitats from fishing pressures 472 00:22:23,108 --> 00:22:26,011 not only benefits the immediate area, 473 00:22:26,011 --> 00:22:28,747 but it may also have spill-over effects 474 00:22:28,747 --> 00:22:32,885 that help to repopulate regions that are still open to fishing. 475 00:22:32,885 --> 00:22:35,454 >>Because of where the Dry Tortugas sits 476 00:22:35,454 --> 00:22:37,022 relative to the rest of the Florida Keys-- 477 00:22:37,022 --> 00:22:40,593 kind of at the very start of the Gulf Stream, 478 00:22:40,593 --> 00:22:43,028 the Gulf Stream is moving from here to the east, 479 00:22:43,028 --> 00:22:45,264 and then up to the North around the Florida keys-- 480 00:22:45,264 --> 00:22:48,467 so there's a good deal of evidence that suggests that 481 00:22:48,467 --> 00:22:52,171 reproduction that occurs here in the Dry Tortugas 482 00:22:52,171 --> 00:22:53,973 actually will seed the rest of the Florida keys. 483 00:22:53,973 --> 00:22:55,307 So in that sense, 484 00:22:55,307 --> 00:22:56,709 it could actually be a very, very important place 485 00:22:56,709 --> 00:22:58,410 for the rest of the keys. 486 00:22:58,410 --> 00:22:59,545 >>NARRATOR: Surprisingly, 487 00:22:59,545 --> 00:23:02,882 the concept of marine protected areas 488 00:23:02,882 --> 00:23:05,317 is still a relatively new idea. 489 00:23:05,317 --> 00:23:09,922 Worldwide, only 0.8% of the oceans are protected 490 00:23:09,922 --> 00:23:11,857 from human pressures, 491 00:23:11,857 --> 00:23:17,429 even though the oceans cover 70% of this planet. 492 00:23:17,429 --> 00:23:22,534 Compare that to 12% of Earth's land mass that is protected 493 00:23:22,534 --> 00:23:25,771 in the form of national parks and preserves. 494 00:23:25,771 --> 00:23:27,339 >>Marine spatial planning 495 00:23:27,339 --> 00:23:29,742 took a long time to get off the ground. 496 00:23:29,742 --> 00:23:33,612 I think now, especially with results 497 00:23:33,612 --> 00:23:35,748 like what we're seeing here in the Tortugas, 498 00:23:35,748 --> 00:23:37,683 it's becoming a much more accepted tool 499 00:23:37,683 --> 00:23:39,718 for fisheries management. 500 00:23:39,718 --> 00:23:43,355 And so we're hoping that it can be used in the future. 501 00:23:43,355 --> 00:23:46,292 It'll be used to ensure that the resources are available 502 00:23:46,292 --> 00:23:47,660 for all of our children. 503 00:23:47,660 --> 00:23:49,128 I have a three-and-a-half year old 504 00:23:49,128 --> 00:23:50,796 and I want her to be able to go fishing and diving 505 00:23:50,796 --> 00:23:52,898 as much as I had a chance to do when I was a kid. 506 00:23:55,768 --> 00:23:58,771 ♪♪ 507 00:24:33,238 --> 00:24:35,941 >>NARRATOR: After ten days at sea, 508 00:24:35,941 --> 00:24:39,044 the boat heads back to port in Key West. 509 00:24:46,986 --> 00:24:49,088 In their quest to better understand 510 00:24:49,088 --> 00:24:53,292 Florida's reef fish populations, the 25 scientists on board 511 00:24:53,292 --> 00:24:59,465 conducted a total of 858 dives on 238 dive sites-- 512 00:24:59,465 --> 00:25:07,306 spending a cumulative 455 hours, or 19 days, underwater. 513 00:25:07,306 --> 00:25:11,744 All the data collected on this trip and others like it 514 00:25:11,744 --> 00:25:13,779 will give managers the tools 515 00:25:13,779 --> 00:25:17,516 to hopefully make better, more informed decisions 516 00:25:17,516 --> 00:25:21,020 about Florida's fisheries in the years to come 517 00:25:21,020 --> 00:25:26,158 and to ensure gems like Dry Tortugas National Park 518 00:25:26,158 --> 00:25:30,396 will be around for future generations to enjoy. 519 00:25:30,396 --> 00:25:32,431 >>This really is a beautiful place. 520 00:25:32,431 --> 00:25:36,769 This isn't scientist's park, this isn't fishermen's park, 521 00:25:36,769 --> 00:25:39,271 this is people's park who live in Oklahoma. 522 00:25:39,271 --> 00:25:42,708 And if we don't preserve it, then in the future, 523 00:25:42,708 --> 00:25:46,045 we've really lost the point of making it a park. 524 00:25:46,045 --> 00:25:48,313 This is everyone's park. 525 00:26:22,781 --> 00:26:25,484 >>Major funding for this program 526 00:26:25,484 --> 00:26:28,020 was provided by the Batchelor Foundation, 527 00:26:28,020 --> 00:26:31,056 encouraging people to preserve and protect 528 00:26:31,056 --> 00:26:35,056 America's underwater resources.