Feds propose Biscayne Bay, parts of Keys as‘ critical habitat’ for threatened Nassau grouper

The Sun Sentinel reported that federal fisheries regulators have proposed designating more than 900 square miles of South Florida and Caribbean waters as “critical habitat” for the threatened Nassau grouper — a direct result of a 2020 lawsuit brought by Miami Waterkeeper, the Center for Biological Diversity, and WildEarth Guardians over missed Endangered Species Act deadlines. With only 20 of the Caribbean’s 50 known spawning sites remaining, coalition attorney Catherine Kilduff welcomed protections for “a sign of healthy reefs and ocean ecosystems.”