deep Wwter reef

Sanford seeking protection of reef

Deep-water area off S.C. coast is ‘national treasure,’ letter to Bush says

By SAMMY FRETWEL


Gov. Mark Sanford has asked President Bush to protect a deep-water reef that environmentalists say is vulnerable to fishing and oil exploration.
In a recent letter to Bush, Sanford called the reef a “national treasure” and compared it to Yosemite National Park or parts of Hawaii.


Relatively few people know about the reef, because unlike shallow tropical reefs, the one off South Carolina is about 1,000 feet deep in an area that gets virtually no sunlight. It attracts many species of fish people never see, but also is frequented by commercial species such as the wreck fish. It is more than 60 miles off South Carolina and is part of a reef system that extends from North Carolina to Florida.


Protection of the area as a marine national monument would not likely affect current commercial fishing, but could limit or prohibit future endeavors to catch deep-water species, according to the conservation group Environmental Defense.


A marine national monument Bush designated in Hawaii two years ago restricted access by fishermen in a string of small islands with an abundance of sea life. The designation off South Carolina also could limit offshore energy exploration if the work threatened to damage the reef, officials said.


Sanford’s letter to Bush — the first by a Southeast governor seeking protection of the reef — does not mention specific threats, including fishing or oil exploration. But Sanford was clear that he would like it protected.


“The fragile nature of these slow-growing and long-lived corals makes them highly vulnerable to disturbance,” Sanford wrote. “The deep-water coral ecosystems offshore from South Carolina, along with the coral ecosystems adjacent to the other Southeast states, are in need of your attention and leadership.”


Attempts to reach a White House spokesman were unsuccessful Thursday afternoon. In contrast to Bush, Sanford has been cool to the idea of offshore oil drilling because of its potential impact on tourism.


Lewis Gossett, who heads the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance, said his association favors more oil and gas exploration, but did not have an official position Thursday on Sanford’s request for a marine national monument.


Environmental Defense officials praised Sanford for his efforts. The reef is so deep that it has likely never been disturbed by humans. The greatest concentration of deep-water corals are believed to lie off the South Atlantic coast, said Steve Ross, a researcher at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.


The area of proposed protection would include the “Charleston Bump,” a popular offshore fishing spot. The Sanford plan comes as federal fisheries managers are wrestling with whether to limit fishing on some shallow-water reefs.


“It’s impossible to overstate how spectacular this area is, and that’s why Gov. Sanford’s action is so important and visionary,” said Doug Rader, a marine biologist with Environmental Defense.