ATTENDEES

Jim Bohnsack (National Marine Fisheries Service), Bob Brock (National Park Service), Billy Causey (Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary), Ed Conklin (Florida Department of Environmental Protection), Fran Decker (Sanctuary Advisory Council-citizen at large), Don DeMaria (SAC-Comm. fisher), Nick Funicelli (Florida Caribbean Science Center/United States Geological Survey), Andy Griffiths (SAC-Charter), Debbie Harrison (SAC-Conserv.), Ben Haskell ( Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary), Dave Holtz (SAC-Conserv.), Tony Iarocci (SAC-Comm. fisher), Joe Kimmel (National Marine Fisheries Service), Pete Moffitt (South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council), Russ Nelson (Florida Marine Fisheries Commission), Michael Weiss (General Counsel Ocean Services), Bob Woodward (Florida Marine Fisheries Commission). Michael Eng, Facilitator. Joanne Delaney, Recorder.

DEBRIEF ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION FORUM - discussion

• Most of what was heard was very useful, especially Tom Lee presentation on circulation patterns; however, it was difficult to put it into the context of a marine reserve. A panel of marine reserve managers might have been helpful;
• Need to establish expectations for Forums up front about them being presentations while still inviting public input; · At some point the question will come out, what exactly are you trying to protect? We need to be ready for that;
• The Working Group should submit the types of questions we want the presenters to try and answer; use an interview-type process to ask questions of the presenters;
• Provide e-mail addresses of presenters so the Working Group members can follow up if they have additional questions;
• The Website will be a way for all of us to ask questions of the presenters, who are serving as informational resources to us now. A dynamic give-take will be created on the Internet;
• Future panels should be designed to represent a range of views; if different views are expressed by the panels, the audience may not launch into debate;
• South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (SAFMC) has reasons why they would be interested in establishing a reserve and how they would support it;
• Dry Tortugas National Park is serving as a partial reserve - public will be asking "What we are gaining from an Ecological Reserve in addition to DTNP?";
• Need to provide clarification that DTNP regulations include prohibitions against lobstering, commercial fishing, and taking conch. Hook and line recreational fishers and guided fishing with a 6-pack license only are allowed. Within the DTNP boundaries a 1 day possession limit applies;
• Need to clarify that DTNP is not part of the FKNMS; · Need to provide justification as to why there is a need to eliminate recreational fishers in some area of the Dry Tortugas;
• Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) should establish why it is critical for commercial fishers to be involved in the Ecological Reserve process. A Spanish-speaking interpreter is needed;
• Commercial fishing representatives from the SAC can best establish a mechanism for input from fishermen;
• Need to be able to make biological justifications for an Ecological Reserve, such as how larger and more abundant lobster in the area of the Dry Tortugas help replenish other areas of the Keys;
• The areas under consideration need to be clearly defined and information needs to be put in writing so people understand the purpose of an Ecological Reserve (ER);
• We need to sell the benefits of a reserve to the average person. To be a salesman we need to listen. We need to sell to the average person; scientific data should be brought to a level that a lay person can understand. The benefits of a reserve have to be emphasized.

SCHEDULING OF NEXT WORKING GROUP MEETING
ACTION ITEMS:

• June 22 & 23, 1998 (Mon. & Tues.) will be the next Working Group meeting;
• Tortugas field trip tentatively rescheduled for June 19 - 21, 1998;
• Agenda will be developed by Billy Causey, Ed Conklin, and Ben Haskell.

Instructions:

1. Individually list 4-5 answers to the question;
2. In groups of four, share your ideas and, as a group, come up with three best benefits;
3. Write each benefit on a separate Post-It;
4. As a group, pick the clearest potential benefit that the public could easily understand and post this on the wall. Continue with second and third choices until all ideas are posted;
5. Regroup posted benefits by similarities/natural categories;
6. Name each grouping of benefits;
7. Move titles around to express logical connections or relationships among them;
8. Use this to develop model of what are the benefits of an Ecological Reserve .

**SEE APPENDIX FOR COMPLETE MODEL AND ALL BENEFITS SUGGESTED.

CONSTITUENT/PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT - discussion

• Subgroups will be formed to decide how to involve specific groups;
• Website, Forums are opportunities for public involvement;
• SAC members are acting as the conduit to their constituency; i.e. already have started a list of commercial fishermen contacts who work in the Dry Tortugas area;
• NEPA scoping process will occur after the Socioeconomic Forum; this will allow public to have opportunity to obtain additional information regarding the Tortugas area;
• Deliberate effort is needed to write about this collaborative process and to provide information to the news media; provide success stories from other places in the country where this type of collaborative process has occurred.

ACTION ITEMS re - ASSIGNED RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Billy Causey, Tony Iarocci, and Don DeMaria (possibly Bob Woodward) = strategy to involve and provide outreach to commercial fishers and explore dimensions of the problem from their perspective;
• Ed Conklin, Jim Bohnsack, Bob Brock, and FKNMS staff = strategy to involve and provide outreach to recreational fishers;
• Dave Holtz, Fran Decker, Jim Bohnsack (possibly Vicki Weeks) = strategy to involve and provide outreach to the diving community;
• Billy Causey = strategy to involve and provide outreach to commercial salvors;
• Tony Iarocci and Don DeMaria = SAC members responsible for commercial fishers and Hispanic fishing constituency;
• Dave Holtz and Debbie Harrison = SAC members responsible for involving and providing outreach to the conservation group constituency;
• Fran Decker = SAC member responsible for outreach to the general public; will occur through community groups already involved in;
• Dave Holtz and Alyson Matley (FKNMS) = will work to develop a media strategy;
• Bob Brock = will help with outreach efforts to visitors and commercial users to the Dry Tortugas National Park;
• Chris Smith (NMFS) = is a media resource consultant for NMFS and can work with us on outreach.

PROPOSED TIMELINE - Ben Haskell

• Hoping for implementation by the year 2000; this is a working document;
• Milestones include: Ecological Characterization Forum, Socioeconomic Forum, scoping, synthesized information turning into criteria, SAC review of alternatives, DEIS/Public Comment, FMFC approval;
• Will have to go through socioeconomic analyses, NEPA, various executive orders;
• Bob Leeworthy (NOAA) and Richard Raulerson (NMFS) could possibly provide socioeconomic analysis of the Tortugas area;
• Requested that all Working Group members review and comment back on Website materials;
• A good resource to us would be a group of other marine reserve specialists, possibly a science/technical panel who are not directly involved to answer questions as needed such as with the Florida Bay Program Management Committee model; questions could be posed to them through the Website.

ACTION ITEMS:

• Will ask Richard Raulerson (NMFS) to do draft socioeconomic analysis;
• Brian Culhane (NPS), Ecosystem Planning and Restoration Branch, did a socioeconomic forum and would be a good resource;
• All Working Group members please submit your e-mail address to Ben Haskell if you have not already done so;
• Bob Brock will get information on Florida Bay PMC's framework to Ben.

SOCIOECONOMIC FORUM - discussion

• Use a forum format;
• Invite users as well as experts;
• Panel member ideas: recreational fisher, commercial fisher, socioeconomic experts. Expert ideas: Dan Suman, Wally Malon, and others;
• The Working Group should be able to get more guidance from this Forum;
• We need to know where people fish and what parts of the area are important to their socioeconomic well-being;
• Pre-Forum GIS overlay of fishing activities would be helpful;
• Don and Tony need detailed charts to bring around to fishermen;
• Need to determine the format of the information we are requesting: e.g., spawning areas, species caught, gear used, seasonality, depth, habitat type, general areas where they work, etc.;
• The previous Management Plan development process asked: "Where do you work? Where do you need access? Where do the most conflicts occur? What are the most special areas to you?"
• The benefit to fishermen of sharing information is so the Ecological Reserve is located in an area that will impact them the least;
• Forum panel needs to explain the value of protecting areas, i.e. the economic value of a fish caught and a fish not caught;
• It is imperative that we be able to articulate and communicate the benefits of reserves;
• We must remember who we are speaking to, not to each other but to the community.

SUMMARY OF ACTION ITEMS day 2:

• June 22 & 23, 1998 (Mon. & Tues.) will be the next Working Group meeting;
• Tortugas field trip tentatively rescheduled for June 19 - 21, 1998;
• Agenda will be developed by Billy Causey, Ed Conklin, and Ben Haskell;
• Billy Causey, Tony Iarocci, and Don DeMaria (possibly Bob Woodward) = strategy to involve and provide outreach to commercial fishers and explore dimensions of the problem from their perspective;
• Ed Conklin, Jim Bohnsack, Bob Brock, and FKNMS staff = strategy to involve and provide outreach to recreational fishers;
• Dave Holtz, Fran Decker, Jim Bohnsack (possibly Vicki Weeks) = strategy to involve and provide outreach to diving community;
• Billy Causey = strategy to involve and provide outreach to commercial salvors;
• Tony Iarocci and Don DeMaria = SAC members responsible for outreach to commercial fishers and Hispanic fishing community;
• Dave Holtz and Debbie Harrison = SAC members responsible for outreach to conservation groups;
• Fran Decker = SAC member responsible for outreach to the general public; will occur through community groups already involved in;
• Dave Holtz and Alyson Matley (FKNMS) = will work to develop a press strategy; Bob Brock = will help with outreach efforts to visitors and commercial users to the Dry Tortugas National Park;
• Chris Smith (NMFS) = is a media resource consultant for NMFS and can assist on outreach.
• Will ask Richard Raulerson (NMFS) to do draft socioeconomic analysis;
• Brian Culhane (NPS), Ecosystem Planning and Restoration Branch, did a socioeconomic forum and would be a good resource;
• All WG members please submit your e-mail address to Ben Haskell if you have not already done so;
• Bob Brock will get information on Florida Bay PMC's framework to Ben;
• Need interpreter for next Forum.

**APPENDIX**

RESULTS OF GROUP ACTIVITY:
(this is the text only; model diagram is in PowerPoint)

What are the potential benefits of an Ecological Reserve (no-take zone)?

ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

• Improve economic benefits
  • tourism
  • fishing
  • recreation

SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES

• Improved fisheries yields adjacent to and downstream of reserve;
• Increase fisheries yield/sustainability/recruitment/spawning;
• Replenishment of larvae;
• Protect spawning and nursery areas, recharge/replenish (reach carrying capacity).

ACCEPTANCE AND SUPPORT

• Ease of enforcement in no-take areas.
• Protect biodiversity and integrity of ecosystem;
• Maintain biodiversity and community structure;
• Protect biodiversity and ecosystem structure;
• Protects and conserves biodiversity;
• Need to have a "Wilderness Reserve";
• Insure source of adult organisms.

KNOWLEDGE, EDUCATION, & STEWARDSHIP

• Increased understanding and appreciation through research;
• Improve knowledge/understanding of marine systems and involve locals in gathering information