The Southeast Marine Event Response Program (SEMERP) is designed to respond to potentially harmful biological disturbances along the northern third of the Florida Reef Tract from the northern border of Biscayne National Park in Miami-Dade County to the St. Lucie Inlet in Martin County. Upon notification of an event such as harmful algal blooms e.g. Lyngbya spp. (see photo below), fish kills, coral bleaching or diseases, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Coral Reef Conservation Program will coordinate with regional partners to schedule initial site assessments, implement event response protocols, and analyze samples, where possible and appropriate. The SEMERP data will be used to develop status and trend datasets for different marine events. This information will help scientists and resource managers better understand the marine environment and assist in creating management strategies to protect natural resources.

You can assist us when you are out on the water by being the eyes and ears on the reef and reporting anything unusual you observe. There is no special training needed and no further participation is required; just let us know what, when, and where (GPS location) the incident was observed. Examples include invasive species (e.g. lionfish – see the photo above), harmful algal blooms (e.g. Lyngbya – see the photo above), water quality issues (e.g. discolored water), fish kills, and coral bleaching or disease outbreaks.