In 2009, the National Marine Fisheries Service completed a Biological Opinion of the Spiny Lobster Fishery which concluded that spiny lobster trap fishing activities put sea turtles, smalltooth sawfish, and staghorn and elkhorn corals at risk. The Gulf and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils took action to address the concerns outlined in the Biological Opinion, and in an effort to protect threatened staghorn and elkhorn corals, closed areas were created in federal waters off the Florida Keys that were identified as containing colonies for these coral species. Transitting is allowed through these areas, but spiny lobster trapping is prohibited. This map shows spiny lobster closed areas and allows geolocation to indicate if you’re in a closed area or not. Launch map