THREE REPORTS FOLLOW: REPORT #1: From: "George S. Garrett" Subject: Coral Bleaching at Coffin's Patch Light - FLORIDA KEYS Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 13:36:28 -0400 ...diving consistently for the past month approximately every other day at COFFINS PATCH LIGHT in the Florida Keys. This is a hard bottom area with very limited hard coral cover and considerable soft coral and sea fan growth. Between July 26 and 8/11/98 I saw no noticeable bleaching of hard corals. On 8/12/98 I saw minimal, but noticeable bleaching of Millepora colonies. The reef is 6-7 meters deep and typical SSTs have been 87-89 degrees F. During the same period I made a dive or two on the adjacent Coffins Patch Special Protected Area (SPA) and have seen no bleaching per se there, but haven't been there for a week of ten days. The SPA is shallower with higher relief and has a greater assemblage of hard corals. George Garrett Director of Marine Resources Monroe County, Florida Keys REPORT # 2: Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1998 16:01:06 -0700 From: Jack Hardy Subject: Hotspots - LEE STOCKING ISLAND Just to confirm your report of hotspots in the Caribbean - we saw extensive bleaching of many coral species in the inner reefs at LEE STOCKING ISLAND (near Exuma) the latter half of July. Jack Hardy, Ph.D., Director Center for Environmental Science Huxley College of Environmental Studies Western Washington University Bellingham, WA 98225-9181 REPORT #3: Date: 16 Aug 1998 21:48:25 -0400 From: "Causey, B." Subject: RE: FLORIDA KEYS - Bleaching Our inshore reefs are bleaching on a fairly broad scale in the KEYS. The outer bank reefs are not showing as much bleaching but the corals are clearly stressed. The palythoa (yellow sea mat) usually exhibit first signs of bleaching and some of these colonies are bleaching on the outer reefs. LOOE KEY Reef has some bleaching..... but worse, a severe outbreak of black/band disease. I would be especially interested in anything you could interpret for the Looe Key area, because each time we have bleaching at that particular reef there is a coincident black/band outbreak. Thanks for the continued updates. Billy Causey