Mini-312 Partners

The Mini-312 Program is a collaborative effort involving many different government entities. Those involved in the program, in the sequence of response to an actual incident, include—

• Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) . When a grounding occurs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), FFWCC officers, who are cross-deputized to enforce NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program regulations, are usually the first to respond to the incident. If the grounding takes place in a seagrass bed and more than 10 square meters of seagrass are injured, the officers will notify a restoration biologist of the need for an injury assessment. For seagrass groundings that cause less than 10 square meters of damage, FWCC officers handle them directly under the civil penalty provisions of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act.

• NOAA Office of Response and Restoration, Damage Assessment and Restoration Center (DARRP). DARRP scientists conduct injury assessments for all seagrass groundings referred to them by FFWCC. DAC is also responsible for completing the habitat equivalency analysis and estimating the costs of primary and compensatory restoration, monitoring, and oversight. DAC also assists with implementing seagrass restoration and monitoring.

• NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research (CCFHR). CCFHR conducts scientific research on the ecology and restoration of seagrass. The restoration techniques used by the Mini-312 Program were developed based on experiments conducted by CCFHR. In addition, CCFHR has created a seagrass recovery model that predicts how quickly injuries will recover to pregrounding conditions, which is vital information for the habitat equivalency analysis.

• NOAA Office of the General Counsel for Natural Resources (GCNR). All restoration and monitoring conducted by the Mini-312 Program is done using funds from boaters responsible for causing the seagrass injuries. GCNR is responsible for providing legal representation for NOAA in settlement negotiations and preparation of all legal documents. Although obtaining out-of-court settlements is preferable, GCNR also actively participates in those cases requiring litigation.

• Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS). All the small vessel groundings addressed by the Mini-312 Program occur within FKNMS. Stretching 220 miles, the sanctuary protects a subtropical archipelago, known worldwide for its extensive offshore coral reefs. It also sustains many other interdependent habitats, including fringing mangroves and seagrass meadows. Designated in 1990, the purposes of FKNMS are protection and management of the sanctuary resources. FKNMS is comanaged by NOAA and the state of Florida, and seagrass restoration and monitoring are implemented by FKNMS biologists.

• NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP). Administered by NOAA's National Ocean Service, NMSP protects and manages specially designated areas of the nation's oceans and Great Lakes for their habitats, ecological value, threatened and endangered species, historic and archeological resources, and recreational and aesthetic resources. NMSP is the federal trustee for all natural resources in the 13 national marine sanctuaries. The authority to seek damages for injury to sanctuary resources is mandated in the National Marine Sanctuaries Act , and the responsibility to pursue such damages is delegated to the NMSP. NMSP is responsible for oversight of the Mini-312 Program and ensures consistency with other program policies and with the mandates and regulations of other federal agencies.

• State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) . DEP is the state trustee for all natural resources in FKNMS. DEP is responsible for oversight of the Mini-312 Program and ensures consistency with other state agencies.

Related Web Sites

• National Marine Sanctuaries Act
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• NOAA's National Ocean Service