Introduction

About the Series

The four book series, Explore the National Marine Sanctuaries with Jean-Michel Cousteau has been developed in partnership with the National Marine Sanctuary system and Ocean Future Society. Text in italics is excerpted from the previously, limited-edition book America’s Underwater Treasures by Jean-Michel Cousteau and Julie Robinson with photography by Carrie Vonderhatt. That book describes the experience and research of Jean-Michel Cousteau and his Ocean Futures Team while diving all 13 underwater marine sanctuaries and the one underwater marine monument. Their experiences is captured in a film by the same name aired on PBS as part of Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Adventures. The current series is offered to make information on these vital sanctuaries even more inclusive for the American public.

Each book in the series takes readers to one of the four regions of the country into which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has organized its management of the National Marine Sanctuaries. This book, Explore the Southeast National Marine Sanctuaries with Jean-Michel Cousteau, visits sanctuaries and a national monument off Hawaii and American Samoa. The other books in the series are: Explore the West Coast National Marine Sanctuaries with Jean-Michel Cousteau, Explore the Northeast National Marine Sanctuaries with Jean-Michel Cousteau and Explore the Pacific Islands National Marine Sanctuaries with Jean-Michel Cousteau,.

The first National Marine Sanctuary in the United States was established only decades ago, while Yellowstone, the oldest of the American National Parks ,was created in 1872. By comparison the parks, these natural marine jewels were damaged upon arrival. Only small portions remain pristine. For many, their destinations arose amidst threats to one or a number of aspects to their survival. Like terrestrial parks, these are special habitats, managed zones for the recovery of critical species like humpback whales or juvenile rockfish but, most importantly, they attempt to preserve the integrity of the web of life.

Ironically, we discovered that managing these resources for sustainability was in truth an exercise in managing ourselves. And that’s, as we found a powerful paradigm shift happening in environmentalism. Fishermen, environmentalists and scientists from opposite sides of the aisle were sitting down together with rolled-up sleeves, poring through scientific research, debating the merits of reserves and restoration, and coming to terms with the new definition of sanctuary. “These are,” as Dan Basta, past director of the National Marine Sanctuary System, reminded us, “still works in progress.”

The National Marine Sanctuaries’ Southeast Region

A healthy reef ecosystem is key to a healthy marine environment, and the office of National Marine Sanctuary Southeast region Includes three distinctive yet interconnected reef systems. The Florida Keys are major international tourist attractions known for abundant fishing, numerous coral reefs, and historic underwater archaeological sites. The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is tasked with preserving these cultural and natural resources while allowing an increasing population of residents and visitors to access them. Seventeen miles off Georgia in Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary lies one of the largest nearshore sandstone reefs in the southeastern United States. The northern most coral reefs in the continental United States are located in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. The Flower Gardens coral reef and community probably began developing on top of salt domes 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. The community has thrived sufficiently to obscure all trace of the deformed bedrock on which it developed, replacing it with dense coral reefs.