SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF CRUISE LINES AND CRITICAL BENTHIC HABITATS

Due to concerns regarding the proximity of cruise line discharge to critical marine benthic habitats (i.e. corals and seagrasses), a science panel for the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) has recently updated recommendations for the improvement of discharge practices. No previous spatial component exists to assess the distance relationship of cruise liners to critical benthic habitats. Duke University and Conservation International have collaborated on a pilot project to create a series of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) maps, indicating cruise ship track density and discharge locations with respect to “sensitive marine habitats”, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and the 20-meter depth contour in the southeastern Florida cruise line corridor from Fort Lauderdale to the Dry Tortugas. The pilot project will be used as a future reference point for mapping other high-density cruise line corridors in the Caribbean Sea.